It Only Takes One Time
by Aria6
Summary: One night in the sand has interesting repercussions for everyone. Ichigo and Grimmjow both had no idea of the truth, until it was shoved in their faces. What will happen now that they know who is the sire of Grimmjow's son? Mpreg, lemons, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I'm honestly not sure where this story is going, if anywhere. XD Should it be Ichi/Grimm or Shiro/Grimm? Or both? Hehehe, Grimmjow's practical approach to mating could make anything possible...

The blue haired arrancar growled, riding out waves of pain.

Giving birth was never an easy process, and even less so for one of the brand new line of hollows. He had no experience to guide him, only instincts, and he was fighting hard to bring his children into the world. Grunting, he shifted slightly and spread his legs further. He needed to get his babies out into the endless twilight.

Grimmjow was holed up in Hueco Mundo, in one of the deserted towers. The whole place was abandoned now, aside from him. He was all alone, the King of an empty land, and it suited him just fine. Kurosaki's taunt was pretty funny, in retrospect. He liked to be alone.

But soon, he wouldn't be alone anymore, and he was rather looking forward to it. This was the first time bearing his own children, although he'd probably sired several. But until recently, he'd never encountered anything strong enough to make him submit. That had changed completely after his battle with Kurosaki, and Grimmjow smiled even through the pain as he remembered the experience…

* * *

_Death._

_Despite the fact that he was technically already dead, Grimmjow had never really thought that death would come for him again. He was tough as hell, an arrancar and the Espada of Destruction. What could bring him down? Some mere shinigami? Well, a shinigami had come close, but the real final blow had been dealt by his so-called comrade. Fuck that. Stupid Aizen and his stupid espirite de corpse, or whatever he called it. If Grimmjow survived this, he was going to shove it right up the rogue shinigami's ass._

_But he wasn't going to survive this. Grimmjow could feel his strength ebbing away. Kurosaki had spared him from a quick death, but not a slow one. It was maddening but there wasn't a damned thing he could do. He couldn't even move._

_Then power blew over the sands and if he could have, Grimmjow would have tried to find a hiding place. He might be the Espada of Destruction but he wasn't stupid, and that was a Vasto Lorde. One of the elite, the goal he'd always aspired to, and the power was literally mind-numbing. It didn't feel like an arrancar, either. No, this was some foreign vasto lorde who had come by to fuck up their day. And fuck it up he would, since Nnoitra was gone. Grimmjow could feel Ulquiorra's reiatsu from his place in the sand and he knew the Quatro wouldn't stand a chance._

_He was right. That spark of reiatsu was brutally extinguished, and Grimmjow sensed the vasto lorde moving around. Coming closer to him. But there wasn't a damned thing he could do, and Grimmjow mentally prepared himself for his fate as a light snack. What else would a vasto lorde want with his wrecked body?_

_As it turned out, though, the monster had other plans. Grimmjow opened his eyes as hard hands gripped his shoulders, staring into a mask of bone. Black and gold eyes stared back at him, full of a bright intelligence that almost seemed to be laughing at him. Then the arrancar arched in pain as power suddenly poured into him. Agonizing yet oh, so good, it healed his wounds and sent life back into his dying flesh. Panting and limp, Grimmjow blinked up at the vasto lorde. Why the hell would he…?_

_Then instincts caught up with his mind, and he registered the scent he'd been unaware of before. He'd been too close to death, too weak to scent it, but now he knew. The vasto lorde had chosen him to mate with and was filling the air with the pheromone that signalled his intent. Normally, that would have led to either a firm rejection, followed by either a cold parting or a battle, or a tentative acceptance followed by a battle. No hollow would mate to a weakling, or put their tail up willingly._

_But this was not a normal circumstance. Grimmjow knew he wouldn't have a hope in hell of defeating this thing, and the vasto lorde had just saved his life. So instead of doing something stupid and suicidal, he spread his legs wantonly and let his head fall back, baring his throat in submission. Yet even as he did that, he raised his own pheromones and let his power clash with the vasto lorde's, a small display of strength. He was outmatched and about to get fucked, but he still wasn't going to be a total bitch. He heard an appreciative growl above him and knew he'd done the right thing. The vasto lorde wanted some spirit in his mate._

_Sharp fangs worried his throat, penetrating the weakened hierro with surprising delicacy. Grimmjow groaned at the minor pain and got busy, sliding his hands down the vasto lorde and pushing aside the bit of fabric hiding his crotch. What he found there was erect and ready, and he began to play with the hot flesh, roughly squeezing and stroking. The vasto lorde's hands found his hakama and clawed fingers ripped the offending fabric away, revealing his body. Then they gripped his thighs in a hard but not painful grip, adjusting his position._

_This was no gentle lovemaking. No sweet nothings were whispered and no preparation or gentleness was given. But the pheromones helped dull the sharp edges and Grimmjow howled in a combination of pain and pleasure as that hard length slammed into his body. It hurt, it hurt like fire but there was also something good under it, something that was trying to build. The vasto lorde set a harsh pace, gripping his hips and yanking him upwards. He didn't care about the writhing form beneath him, didn't care about Grimmjow's pleasure, but that didn't really matter. The bastard was huge and while that hurt, it almost guaranteed enough stimulation for his prostate. Grimmjow's fingers bit into the vasto lorde's shoulders, unable to raise so much as a scratch through his powerful hierro. Unlike the others' fangs, which gathered more blood from his neck as the pace increased._

_Grimmjow thought he might be losing his mind. The pain was vanishing, replaced with a bitter pleasure that made him want more. And the vasto lorde was giving him more, hammering into him like there was no tomorrow. The intense stimulation was taking him places he'd never been, places he would much rather not have visited, but it was damned good. Grimmjow screamed as he abruptly came, semen splattering between the two of them._

_But the vasto lorde wasn't even close to done, and Grimmjow gasped as the pleasurable torment went on, that hard length abusing his body further. The vasto lorde pulled out of him just long enough to flip him onto his stomach and take him that way. Grimmjow howled again as the vasto lorde bit his shoulder, a deep and painful mark. He could feel his blood running down his skin and puddling beneath him, but he didn't care, lost in the overwhelming sensation._

_He had no idea how long the vasto lorde hammered into his ass. It felt like forever, and he was hard and panting with the pleasure when the vasto lorde finally unleashed his own howl. The power and pleasure in the sound made Grimmjow's eyes glaze, and he reacted the only way he could, with an intense, indescribably pleasurable orgasm. A few more hammer blows to his prostate and the monster above him came, filling him with his seed and power. Grimmjow grunted as he felt the power tear through him, and knew immediately that this was a successful conception. Most hollows couldn't, but he'd always been able to tell immediately if his mates had taken. Apparently, it was the same when he was the one getting mated._

_The vasto lorde pulled away from him with an obscene squelch, and Grimmjow just rested in the sand, too exhausted to move. He did raise his head as the vasto lorde sonido'd away, and vaguely wondered where he was going. Not that he expected the bastard to stay. A sire would sometimes stick around if there was a prior relationship, but it was rare. Most of the time it was up to the dam to raise the cubs, and that was exactly what he was going to do. Letting his head drop onto the sand, Grimmjow let himself drift to sleep._

_No one would be coming anywhere near him, not with that dark power and scent all over his skin._

* * *

Grimmjow hissed at another wave of pain, then grinned victoriously as he felt the child beginning to exit his body.

He honestly couldn't wait to see his cubs. They would be the first children born from his body, and the first arrancar offspring to boot. Aizen had learned about hollow baby making the hard way, and he'd made the Numero in question miscarry. Then he'd laid a dampening field over Los Noches to prevent pregnancies, since telling hollows not to fuck was like telling the sea not to be damp. That field must have broken, probably when Aizen's artificial sun had vanished. Just in time to let him conceive with that monster.

That was the other reason Grimmjow was eager to see his cubs. With that powerful a sire, they were going to be something special. Grunting, he pushed hard and was rewarded as the first cub slid free with a squall.

Grimmjow panted for a moment, just gazing down at his offspring. Bright orange hair, just like that long pelt the vasto lorde had owned. Beautiful teal eyes, just like his own. There was something odd, though, something wrong. Grimmjow frowned for a moment then ignored it, tending to the cub. He bit through the cord and began to clean the child off, even as his body expelled the afterbirth. Looking down at the bloody mess, he frowned and set the cub aside. Then he ate it the afterbirth. He needed to tidy up, to keep his nest clean.

As soon as the labor started again, though, Grimmjow knew something was wrong. The pain of the first one had been a normal pain, expected and anticipated. This pain… this pain wasn't right. Whimpers were forced out of him and the little cub started to cry, until he picked the child up and cradled him in his arms. Glancing down, Grimmjow verified that it was indeed a boy. But then the pain made him gasp and he had to set the cub down, back into the warm and well-furnished nest.

It took a lot longer to bring his second cub into the world, and Grimmjow knew that was wrong too. It was supposed to get easier after the first. And the cub was too big, something was badly wrong. Grimmjow whimpered as he fought through the pain, forcing the child out anyway. If he'd been weaker he might have died, but he was an Espada. Despite the anguish and the sense of internal tearing, he brought out the baby. A massive gout of blood followed, but Grimmjow growled as his healing factors kicked in, staunching the internal hemorrhage. His nest was a mess, though, and Grimmjow hated it. Then he looked down at the cub.

And stiffened in shock and horror. It wasn't one cub, it was two, and they were… wrong. He had no other word for what he was seeing. Grimmjow swallowed, bending over the infants until his nose nearly touched them.

He'd heard of such things, but never seen them. No surprise, since he'd never stayed by his mates and such things were rare anyway. But he could see this had begun as two separate cubs, and somewhere along the way they had… merged. The result was a freak, a monster, but not the good kind of monster. No, this was something that couldn't survive without constant care. Grimmjow agonized over it for a moment. It wasn't right or normal, a dam caring for a cub forever. Could he commit himself to such a thing?

Then he saw that he didn't have to worry. The decision had already been made for him. One of the twins had a malformed mouth, and she – the scent told him they were female, he honestly couldn't tell with the way their legs were fused – had already suffocated. The other one was crying weakly but Grimmjow knew it was doomed. Maybe, if Szayel had been around, he could have salvaged something from this wreck, especially with the dead child's parts to work with. But he was dead and gone and there was nothing an arrancar like him could do. Taking a deep breath, Grimmjow gripped the little head and broke the remaining cubs' neck. Gently stroking soft blue hair, he closed his eyes for a moment. He'd never imagined that he would give birth to something like this.

Pulling himself together, he proceeded to devour the cubs. No doubt shinigami would think it was barbaric, but it was actually very practical and even merciful. The souls that had gone into the cubs would return to him, and if he ever had another litter they might have a second chance. And even if they didn't, their power would go towards the remaining sibling. Eating the cubs was the only thing to do, even if he didn't particularly enjoy it.

With that chore done, he devoured the afterbirth as well and turned his attention to the living cub. One cub for a hollow litter was pathetic, really, but it did have some advantages. He would be able to devote all his time and resources to this single cub, and a quick, worried check showed him the infant was healthy and strong. Settling back into a cleaner part of his nest, Grimmjow examined the child more thoroughly.

The cub vaguely reminded him of Kurosaki, but Grimmjow snorted away the thought. The only thing the shinigami had had in common with that monster of a vasto lorde had been the hair color. Still, this was a very odd cub. Tilting his head to one side, Grimmjow looked for a hollow hole but couldn't find one. The cub had a shockingly shinigami scent, but mixed up with a very strong hollow reiatsu. Grimmjow could only blame himself. He was an arrancar, and possessed very shinigami anatomy, so this had to come from him. His mate had been an unbroken vasto lorde.

Shrugging to himself, Grimmjow gave the cub a more thorough licking, ignoring the child's whining. Then he brought the cub close for his first feeding. He blinked, then lifted his eyebrows as he realized the cub had no teeth. That made no difference for the feeding – his body was willing and eager to pump the child full of energy – but it made him wonder. Most hollow cubs were born with all their teeth.

"How long am I going to be raising you, cub?" He asked the infant, who just ate hungrily. "Little pig. Hmm, what should I call you?" Grimmjow considered it for a moment. Normally, cubs were just given a nickname by their dam. They didn't stay in the den long before they were weaned, taught to hunt and kicked out. After that, they named themselves. "I'm going to call you Tigre." He told the feeding infant. "Because you're orange like a tiger. You can change it later, if you want to." And the kid could definitely pick out his own last name. That was how it worked in Hueco Mundo.

Once the cub was done feeding, Grimmjow set him down to sleep and began cleaning up his nest. That birth had been spectacularly messy, and he wanted everything to be clean.

He had a feeling he'd be raising this cub for a long, long time.

* * *

"Papi!" Grimmjow yawned and looked up from where he was sleeping. He was perched in the edge of a half-ruined balcony, in his resurrection. He'd just felt like taking it, and his tail lashed lazily as his son ran up to him.

"What is it, bebe?" He asked drowsily, then winced as the cub tugged on his hair. "Tigre, stop that!" He growled, yanking the blue strands away from the laughing boy.

"There are strangers here!" The blue eyed, orange haired boy told him and Grimmjow's eyes shot open. Sitting up he extended his senses and hissed at the feel of shinigami reiatsu. Then a wicked grin crossed his face as he recognized it. Kurosaki was back!

Then his grin turned into a frown as he looked at his cub. Tigre was growing into himself at a good rate. He looked about Lilynette's age, and was damn near as annoying. He'd learned his cero, but he didn't have a resurrection and his sword was strange. Grimmjow honestly thought it might be a real zanpakuto, although his son couldn't speak to it yet. But the power inside it didn't seem to be directly part of Tigre's power.

The point was, though, that his son was in no way ready for a serious fight with shinigami. Lilynette had done okay, sort of, considering she'd been against a taichou but it had been more amusing than anything. And Grimmjow was not going to risk his cub.

"Fuck." He muttered to himself. He really wanted a rematch with Kurosaki, but he remembered the devastation they'd left in their wake last time. No way was that going to happen with Tigre around, he could be hurt purely by accident. Kind of like he hadn't meant to shoot off his darts at Orihime and Nel, it had just happened. "God dammit." He honestly wasn't sure what to do. Tigre just looked at him like he was a moron. "What?"

"Why don't you go talk to them, see what they want?" He said and Grimmjow blinked, flicking his ears at the novel idea. "Papi, sometimes you're really weird." His son said with a headshake and Grimmjow scowled at him before ruffling his hair.

"Yeah? Well, you're short. You can come but stay behind me." He quickly decided. He wanted his son where he could see him. Tigre nodded, smiling happily. Grimmjow knew why. The kid had complained of boredom more than once, which was actually a pretty fair complaint. Los Noches was not filled with entertainment. Shinigami would at least be something new.

When he found the shinigami, Grimmjow was surprised to see they were riffling through Szayel's lab. He couldn't imagine why, the place was a disaster area. And the computers didn't have any power, the few that were intact, so what did they think they were gonna do? Shoving it aside – they probably knew technology better than he did – he let his reiatsu flare through the room. Not in a hostile way, just an 'I'm here who the fuck are you?' sort of way. And he crossed his arms, just standing there as the shinigami reacted.

"Grimmjow!" That was Kurosaki, of course. He had his sword at the ready and was scowling, his usual expression. "What are you doing here?" Grimmjow rolled his eyes at that question. Really?

"I live here, dumbass. What the hell are you doing here?" He asked, noting the various shinigami. It was the black haired shrimp he'd poked a hole in, and the guy with the spiky red hair. Also the Quincy and a strange girl with black hair he'd never seen before. Her reiatsu seemed vaguely familiar, though. "If you're looking for Szayel's hard copies, he didn't keep them here." Grimmjow only knew that because of Tigre, actually. His son had wanted to explore the place and because of the possibility of traps, Grimmjow hadn't been willing to let him go alone. So they'd found the records room together. The shinigami looked at him in confusion.

"Hard copies?" The red haired guy asked and Tigre piped up behind him.

"Papers! Tons of papers! I used them to make paper airplanes and origami." He said and Grimmjow grinned as all the shinigami winced. "Hey, who are you guys? I'm Tigre."

"Tiger?" From the look on Ishida's face, he found the name amusing. But the Quincy frowned at the child. "What precisely are you?" He asked and Grimmjow growled slightly, offended on behalf of his cub.

"He's my son, Quincy. You got a problem with that?" He growled and then scowled at all the disbelieving looks. Maybe talking to these people had been a dumb idea. But sooner or later they'd have sussed out his reiatsu anyway. It was all over the place, along with Tigre's immature scent.

"Arrancar can breed?" The girl said. Grimmjow really wished he had a name to attach to her, but he didn't. "Who is his mother?" She asked and he growled. He wasn't really interested in giving the shinigami a Q and A about hollow breeding.

"Everything past Gillian can breed, shinigami. And I'm the 'mother', if you have to know. A Vasto Lorde mated me." Despite the mild shame of being the one bearing the cubs, Grimmjow was proud of that. One of the elite of his race had chosen him for breeding. It was the first vasto lorde he'd ever had, and unless he could make it to vasto lorde himself, it would probably be the last. And Grimmjow was afraid he was frozen at adjuchas, thanks to his conversion to an arrancar.

"A big scary vasto lorde!" Tigre piped up. "I'm gonna be just like him when I grow up!" Grimmjow grinned and ruffled his son's hair affectionately. He'd told the kid plenty of stories about how big and strong and scary his sire had been, which was only accurate. The thing had been a nightmare made flesh.

"Erm, okay. Can you show us this room?" Kurosaki took back the conversation and Grimmjow scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Maybe you should tell me why the hell you're here, first." He said bluntly. He was quite sure the shinigami had no interest in Hueco Mundo. Time ran differently between the worlds, and hollow cubs grew faster than human or shinigami ones, but it had still been years since the last time they'd been here. Grimmjow couldn't tell the time very well without days and seasons, but he was sure of that. "And maybe why I should help you, while you're at it." Grimmjow really had no reason at all to help them.

"There's some kind of strange infection going around Soul Society. We think it might have originated here." Kurosaki answered and Grimmjow rubbed an eyebrow, greeting that with skepticism. "Kurotsuchi – Nemu's father –" He gestured to the second woman with black hair. She looked quietly depressed, even to Grimmjow. "Was the first one affected, and Unohana thinks it might have had a very long incubation period. The reiatsu involved seems to be hollow, so we're checking this place to see if he caught it here. Other shinigami are following up different leads." Grimmjow frowned. So they didn't actually know this infection, whatever it was, had sprung from here.

"Well, I wouldn't put anything past Szayel and you blew up his lab but good. You certainly could have let something out." He commented, then shrugged. "Whatever. Now what's in it for me?"

"What do you want?" Ishida asked before Kurosaki could take offense. The kid was scowling and giving him a very hostile look. Grimmjow frowned, a bit stymied by that. What did he want?

"Papi, I could use more books." Tigre said and Grimmjow blinked at that. He had Tosen's whole library – "I'm down the philosophy books and they are so boooooring. I don't know how that shinigami could read them. And maybe a kite? My last one broke." That had just been a handmade toy Grimmjow had put together, and it hadn't withstood the winds of Hueco Mundo well. He'd been pleased that it had worked at all, though.

"Ah." Grimmjow nodded to himself, pleased, and looked at the Quincy. "Stuff for the cub, books and toys. You think you can handle that, Quincy?" He asked and the young man smiled.

"I'm sure we can. Perhaps some clothing too." He said and Grimmjow glanced at Tigre, involuntarily. He was wearing bits and pieces of cast off uniforms. The coat had belonged to Luppi, and Grimmjow had cut off the hanging sleeves, which Tigre had hated almost as much as he had. His pants – if you could call them that – had belonged to Lilynette. The brief little things didn't go with the jacket at all, but the only other pants Grimmjow had been able to find just couldn't be held up. Their outfits didn't come with drawstrings. The long boots he wore somewhat made up for it, but Grimmjow knew they didn't fit either. Tigre had stuffed the shoes to make them stay on a bit better.

"That would be good." Grimmjow agreed and frowned as Kurosaki made a small choking sound. "What?" Why did he think that was funny? The cub obviously needed clothes.

"N-Nothing." Kurosaki choked out and Grimmjow scowled. What in hell was so funny? "Can you show us the records room?" He said, getting himself under control. Grimmjow gave the teen a hard stare, then shrugged and turned away.

"Follow me." Tigre skipped beside him as he led the motley crew to a special section of the lab. There was a set of stairs that led into an underground bunker full of papers. Grimmjow grinned as the little shinigami girl exclaimed over the origami. The signs of Tigre's presence were everywhere in this room.

"Where did you learn to make these?" She asked, picking up an origami butterfly. "Ah, can we unfold them?" She asked, a little apprehensive as she glanced over the creations. They included things like an entire bouquet of flowers. Tigre just shrugged with a grin.

"Sure! I can make them all again. And one of the Espada had some origami books." He said cheerfully, picking up a discarded paper airplane and tossing it through the air. The red haired guy caught it with a grin. "Say, what's your names? Papi didn't introduce you." Tigre gave him a reproachful look and Grimmjow just grunted.

"That guy is Kurosaki Ichigo and that guy is Ishida Uryu. The rest, I have no frickin' clue." He'd never caught the midgets' name. They quickly introduced themselves to Tigre, and Grimmjow made a mental note of their names. Rukia and Renji. The last girl also introduced herself and Grimmjow wondered if Nemu was ever happy. But then, her sire apparently had this 'infection', whatever the hell it was. "This shit is organized alphabetically, and we mostly took papers from the A file, I think." He glanced over at Tigre inquiringly and his son nodded.

"It was closest. Do you have any idea what we're looking for?" He asked and Nemu began explaining the details of the 'disease'. Grimmjow frowned slightly as she talked. It sounded more than a little familiar.

"That's a type of hollow." He said and all eyes went to him. "I thought it had been wiped out. Figures Szayel would keep a sample. Or maybe he caught it some other way, but whatever." Grimmjow tried to remember what the thing had been called. "Try P for parasite, maybe? He gave it a name but I'm fucked if I can remember."

"Why would it have been wiped out?" Ishida asked and Grimmjow grimaced, running a hand through his hair.

"Because it does what it does on arrancar just fine, Quincy. The strongest can survive but anyone less than the Privaron Espada would die." He said plainly. "And surviving is no fucking picnic." This particular type of hollow reproduced itself by putting 'eggs' into someone. Those eggs slowly drained more and more spiritual power until they 'hatched' and ate their way out. Not pretty at all and extremely painful. Grimmjow had never been through it and he was glad. "I have no idea if a shinigami could make it through that shit."

"The answer is yes, although only fukutaichou or above. And I'm surprised Mayuri didn't find these eggs inside himself before they hatched." Ishida said with a frown and Grimmjow shrugged.

"If Szayel kept a sample, he might have been working on it, making it more lethal or some shit. It would be like him." He wouldn't have put anything past that madman. Fortunately, by the time Tigre was old enough to explore the place all the samples had escaped or died. Nothing interesting here anymore, aside from files and the occasional booby trap.

Grimmjow helped them look through the files, but only a little. His reading skills were sub-par, even though he'd been trying to learn a bit since Tigre had a passion for it. But Szayel's lingo defeated him easily. Tigre didn't understand it either, but he could at least sound out the words and repeat them to the room. He probably wasn't much help, but no one had the heart to tell him to get lost. Grimmjow leaned against a wall, just watching as the shinigami sorted through files. Then he blinked as Ishida came to speak to him.

"Your child. May I ask about the father?" He said quietly and Grimmjow grunted, shifting a little at the keen intelligence in the eyes behind those glasses.

"What about him?" He couldn't see why the Quincy would be interested. Although… given the time that vasto lorde had showed up, Kurosaki and his friends might well have seen him. Ishida frowned, glancing at Tigre for a moment.

"Your son seems familiar. When did you meet this vasto lorde? What did he look like?" Ishida asked. Grimmjow was tempted to tell him to go fuck himself, but he was honestly proud of the monster he'd mated.

"Right after Ulquiorra bit the dust, he came and found me. He was pretty damned impressive." Grimmjow half-closed his eyes, remembering the mating pleasure and the majesty of the beast that had taken him. "Long orange hair, the same color as Kurosaki's. A mask of bone with horns that curved forward, and black marks on the mask. A hole in the centre of his chest with black lines leading to it." Grimmjow traced the lines on his own chest, remembering. "A ruff of red fur around his neck and wrists. Black and gold eyes." Those eyes… had been a bit familiar. They reminded him of Kurosaki, but the malicious intelligence in them had been all hollow. Ishida took a deep breath and Grimmjow looked at him curiously. "Did you see him?"

"Yes, you might say that." The Quincy sounded strange. Grimmjow couldn't figure out his expression and scowled, irritated. "He… might be closer than you think."

"Huh?" That threw him for a loop and the blue haired arrancar glared at the teen. "What the hell do you mean, Quincy?"

"Just hang on a moment." Ishida said and went to talk to Kurosaki. Their conversation was conducted in low voices but it was intense, and pretty soon Ishida was gesturing at Tigre and Grimmjow a lot. The arrancar's eyes narrowed. What the hell was going on here? Then Kurosaki suddenly staggered and he stiffened as he felt a distinctive hollow reiatsu fill the room.

"_Just let me talk to him, King."_ That voice was Kurosaki's, but not, and Grimmjow stared in something close to horror as a rather familiar mask began forming on the teen's face. Not the mask he'd used in their fights, but a fuller version that included forward facing horns. Just like the vasto lorde he'd mated with. _"He respects me more than you."_

"Fuck." Grimmjow muttered, feeling faint as Kurosaki stepped up to him. The teen had partially changed into that monster from before, and his black and gold eyes glittered with feral amusement. "You? It was _you?"_ That meant that Kurosaki had saved his life twice, not just once. And… he was technically Tigre's sire. Grimmjow didn't know whether to puke or attack him. But he quickly restrained his temper. Tigre was in the room and if squalling with Kurosaki was out, taking on this thing was doubly out of the question. "What the fuck man!" He exclaimed and the vasto lorde/Kurosaki laughed.

"_Aren't you glad to be alive?"_ Grimmjow found himself suddenly pinned against the wall in a lightning fast move, too fast to avoid. He stiffened, shocked by the speed. Ichigo hadn't shown him that in their fight, or he never would have lasted as long as he had. _"I judged your worth in our battle and when I got the chance, I chose you. Now… only one cub?"_ Grimmjow swallowed at the displeasure in that dark voice. _"What happened to the others?"_ The vasto lorde questioned and the arrancar took a breath, steadying himself. He'd been expecting that question if he ever met the sire again.

"There were two more, but they were born wrong, fused together." He said shortly, remembering that pathetic little body. It still hurt a bit to think about. "I had to eat them." The vasto lorde considered his words for a moment then nodded slightly.

"_It happens. Now, introduce me to your cub." _ The vasto lorde commanded, moving off him, and Grimmjow swallowed. Tigre had been watching all of this wide eyed.

"Tigre, come here." He couldn't help the anxiety in his tone. If a cub displeased their sire, it was entirely possible the sire might choose to eat them. His son came over slowly, looking at his sire in a combination of curiosity and wariness. "This is your sire. It turns out he's actually some weird shinigami hollow thing, but he's still powerful as hell." He wasn't going to deny it now. Kurosaki had beaten him fair and square, and this thing had wiped out Ulquiorra, which he couldn't have done. There was a rough chuckle from the monster, who cupped Tigre's cheek for a moment with one clawed hand. Grimmjow could sense him testing the child's spiritual pressure.

"_A fine cub. I am pleased."_ The vasto lorde purred, to Grimmjow's relief. _"My King is upset and I cannot hold him back much longer. But you have done well, and perhaps someday we can try again."_ Grimmjow honestly had no idea what to say to that. Before today, he'd actually been planning to try to find the vasto lorde again after Tigre was out and on his own. Now that he'd gotten the experience of raising a little one, the arrancar wanted to raise more cubs. But Kurosaki? Ewww.

From the look on the teen's face as the mask flaked away, he felt exactly the same way. He gazed wide eyed at Tigre, who looked back and gave him a cheeky grin. Then Kurosaki stumbled back, leaning against one of the filing cabinets. Ishida gripped his shoulder, giving him a bit of support.

"This can't be happening. This is a nightmare." The teen was mumbling and Tigre glanced at Grimmjow, who just shrugged. He had no idea why Ichigo was so upset. His hollow thought the cub was fine, what more could the shinigami want? "What is my dad going to say?"

"I don't know. Nice cub? What the hell is your problem, Kurosaki?" Grimmjow demanded. "It's not like you even have to tell him." It wasn't like they were going to be meeting Tigre, after all. Ichigo looked at him with an outraged expression.

"I can't keep this a secret from them! And they have to meet him. He's…" Kurosaki's voice caught and Grimmjow blinked at the suddenly strange tone. "He looks like me." He said, gazing at Tigre again. His son scowled and Grimmjow had to admit that the resemblance was pronounced. He might have seen it sooner, but he'd been dead certain that Tigre's sire was a normal vasto lorde.

"Whatever. I'm going to go read some more stuff for everyone." Tigre was clearly getting tired of his sire and Grimmjow chuckled as the boy skipped off to check out more files. Then he grinned at Kurosaki, who was rubbing his head in mental pain.

"Well, if you really want him to meet your family, I'll be coming along too." He said, his grin widening at Kurosaki's horrified look. "You think I'd let my cub out of my sight? Pssh, think again." Although technically, he let Tigre get out of his sight all the time. But not out of his power sensing, and if his cub was distressed Grimmjow would be there in a hot minute. He sure as hell wasn't going to let the kid go to the Living World without him.

"Perhaps we should worry about this later." Ishida suggested as Kurosaki gave him a betrayed look. "Priorities, Ichigo. We have a great deal of work to do."

"Oh… alright. But we'll discuss this later." He said to Grimmjow, who scowled at him. He wasn't sure he wanted to discuss anything with Kurosaki.

As the shinigami and his son worked on the files, Grimmjow digested the unpalatable truth that had just been handed to him. There was no doubt at all now, Kurosaki was stronger than him. In fact, he was a goddamned monster, whatever he might pretend to be. The good kind of monster, the kind that Grimmjow respected and admired. Sighing, the Espada rubbed his crown of bone. This was making his head hurt. Respect Kurosaki? But he was Tigre's sire. It was all so crazy.

And this stuff about taking his son to the Living world. Grimmjow didn't much like that idea. He'd honestly been considering taking Tigre and abandoning Los Noches as soon as the shinigami left. As far as he knew, Tigre was the only arrancar offspring. Now he knew his son was also the child of a shinigami, which would probably interest the scientist types to no end. Not to mention what Soul Society would say about a true hybrid. Had Kurosaki even thought of that? Grimmjow might not have thought of it, if he hadn't heard Tosen talking about why he'd given up on Soul Society. He'd hated the shinigami with a burning passion after the whole arm incident, but Soul Society still sounded like it was full of dicks.

"This thinking shit is not for me." Grimmjow muttered, running his tongue over his fangs. "Bah." He scratched his head with one clawed finger, but couldn't resist thinking. The Living world would have one huge plus, and that was Kurosaki. Who was going to dare to try to take his cub away from his sire?

He was bored to death when the shinigami finally found what they'd came for. They left immediately, although Kurosaki promised to come back and Tigre seemed sad to see him go. Grimmjow growled to himself and grabbed the teen's arm, pulling him aside.

"Don't bother to come back to Los Noches." He said bluntly as Ichigo gave him a surprised look. "We won't be here. We'll come to see you in the Living world, and to collect on what you guys owe us. Alright?"

"Wait, you're leaving? Where are you going to go?" He asked and Grimmjow just shrugged.

"Anywhere that's not here. I trust your friends as far as I can throw them, and Tigre's my only cub. Now get going, Kurosaki." He said shortly before gathering up Tigre and leaving the room. Tigre would be irritated and thrilled, to find out he was finally leaving Los Noches. Irritated, because he would have to leave all his stuff behind. Thrilled, because he finally might find some hollow playmates. Grimmjow fully intended to put together a fraccion at the first opportunity. He'd have to be a bit selective in the hollows he picked, though. He wanted friends for his cub, not dangers.

And Hueco Mundo was full of dangers.


	2. Thievery and a New Fraccion

"Are we there yet?"

"Shut up! We'll get there when we get there." Grimmjow growled, cursing his luck. There was a titter behind him and he manfully restrained himself from backhanding his fraccion. They were right to laugh.

It had been a long, long time since he'd visited Karakura town. He'd figured finding Kurosaki would be easy, though. The damned kid shot off power like there was no tomorrow, his reiatsu might as well have been a homing beacon. Unfortunately, either Ichigo was learning to control himself or he wasn't home. Given the time difference between the real world and Hueco Mundo, Grimmjow was betting on the latter.

Pausing to survey his surroundings, Grimmjow glanced over his new fraccion. They weren't that impressive, but he hadn't chosen them for their strength. No, he'd had a completely different set of criteria this time.

Grimmjow hadn't actually chosen his first fraccion. They'd stumbled over him and made him their King, which he thought was kind of funny now. Being beaten half to death and then mated by his worst enemy had been a humbling experience. Not that he needed a lot of humility. He was awesome, after all. But his first fraccion had chosen each other for strength, nothing else, and they'd recognized the strength in him. Other than that, they hadn't had much to recommend them.

His current fraccion was different. Grimmjow had all the strength he needed, as the only surviving Espada. A vasto lorde might be able to fuck him up, but that was about it. And he thought maybe he could take a low level one, vasto lorde had gradations of strength just like adjuchas. So instead of looking for strength, he'd looked for hollows that could get along well with Tigre.

What he'd ended up with was two arrancar and an adjuchas. The arrancar were named Rinn and Tinn Sussili, and they were male identical twins. They were born adjuchas, not evolved plus souls like Grimmjow, so this was their first time seeing the Living world. Not the sharpest tools in the shed, he'd already had to remind them several times not to stray off. They were both pretty cute, short with green hair and golden eyes. Even their mask fragments were identical, little barrettes of bone in their hair. They wore Aizen's old black and white uniforms, the only clothes they had.

The adjuchas of the group was a human sized snake. Her name was Quel-Anna Verzkarez. It sounded like a strange name to Grimmjow, but then his name probably wasn't much better. Her scales were bone white, with a little pattern of red diamonds going up her back and decorating her cobra like cowl. Dark purple eyes glanced around as her tongue flickered out, tasting the air. Of the three of them, she was the strongest and Grimmjow thought she might have some potential for advancement. She probably wouldn't make vasto lorde, though. But then, very few hollows did.

The humans below them were completely ignorant of the spiritual group hovering over their heads. Grimmjow sighed to himself as he tried to decide where to go.

"Seriously papi, do you have any idea where we are?" Tigre asked disrespectfully and Grimmjow growled. "You don't, do you?"

"I was planning to follow Kurosaki's reiatsu, but I don't think the bastard is here." He admitted and his son kicked the air idly. "Let's see if we can find any reiatsu similar to his. You remember what he smelled like, right?" That made Tigre brighten up.

"Sure do! I'll find it papi!" His cub said happily and Grimmjow grinned. Giving Tigre something useful to do was always the way to make him happy. The rest of their posse just followed. They'd never met Kurosaki, although Rinn and Tinn might have sensed him when the shinigami invaded Los Noches. Or maybe not, too, they'd probably been hiding under a bed wetting themselves.

It took a long time to find anything interesting, and in the meantime Rinn and Tinn demonstrated their greatest talent.

"Good job guys." Grimmjow congratulated them. The twins beamed as Tigre tried some M&M's and Quel-Anna cautiously sampled a bit of beef jerky. "You're the best damn thieves I have ever seen."

"Thanks boss! Want a chocolate bar?" Tinn offered him a Mars bar, which Grimmjow accepted. They all perched on the roof of a building, enjoying the sweets. They might not get any useful energy from them, but almost all of Aizen's arrancar had developed a taste for real food.

"Thisss isss good." Quel said as she munched through some popcorn. "Sssalty."

"Can I try some?" Tigre asked and she dipped her head. He grabbed a few kernels and sampled them. "Huh. Spongy? Humans eat some weird things, don't they?"

"Hah! You think that's weird? Let me tell you about this stuff called cheese." Grimmjow wasn't sure if Gin had been telling him the truth about how they made it, but it was still fun to see his son and fraccion grossed out.

"You're making that up. They wouldn't eat stuff that cows feed to their babies, after it's been sitting in a cave for years!" Tigre accused him and Grimmjow grinned. He could tell the rest of the fraccion agreed with his son, but they would let the alpha's cub say it.

"Hey, it's what Gin told me. I dunno if he was yanking my chain or not. Hey, look, a hollow. Anyone want a light snack?" He asked, glancing down at the hollow. It was so pathetically powerless that it couldn't sense the arrancar, adjuchas and hybrid above it. Calling it a light snack was grossly overestimating its potential, but hollows would eat anything.

"Sssure." Quel-Anna dropped down and coiled around the unlucky hollow, biting it on the shoulder. It took less than no time for the thing to stop struggling and she wolfed it down, swallowing it whole like a snake. Unlike a real snake, though, there was no great bulge in her body and certainly no need to sleep and digest. "Ptth. Nothing to it, jussst like the popcorn." She complained a little as she floated back up to the roof. Grimmjow nodded.

"Only weak shit around here. But we ate before we left, and we do have the pills." They all nodded less than enthusiastically and Tigre made a face. None of them particularly liked the reishi pills Aizen had trained his arrancar to make, but they would keep them alive in the high reishi atmosphere of Karakura town. "Let's keep looking."

After more wandering and one bad moment where they had to rescue Tigre from a river – the kid couldn't swim – they finally detected something that smelled like Kurosaki. Not exactly, but close enough that Grimmjow thought they'd found a relative.

"Well, he wanted his family to know Tigre." Grimmow said to himself before shrugging. "This way guys… guys?" Glancing around, he saw he'd completely lost his fraccion and his son. They were all clustered around a display of TV's in the wall of a shop, watching something animated. Grimmjow walked up behind them and paused to watch for a moment with them. Admittedly, the animated little robot thing was interesting. Cute, too. "Okay, I know you're all mentally deficient but can we at least pretend to concentrate here?" Grimmjow said, wondering what Ulquiorra would say if he could see the Sexta trying to be the responsible one. Then he winced as Tigre kicked him in the leg.

"You're not one to talk, papi! You can't count past ten without taking your shoes off – ow!" Tigre scowled as he got a light slap upside his head, and rubbed the back of his head with one hand.

"Watch it bebe, I can still eat you." Grimmjow threatened, but it was an idle threat. He liked his cub to have spirit and besides, it was true. Math was really not his thing. "Come on guys, we can watch this shit later." His fraccion followed, although Rinn and Tinn gave the monitors backward glances. They found themselves at a strange looking building. Grimmjow didn't bother to read the front, knowing that his son would do it for him.

"Kurosaki clinic. Kurosaki! This is definitely it papi!" Tigre said happily and Grimmjow patted him on the head, nodding. "Let's go!" He darted forward, making the arrancar swear.

"I go first, bebe!" He barked, grabbing his son's arm and pulling the child behind him. The cub pouted but stilled as his father gave him a sharp look. "Rinn, Tinn, keep an eye on him. Take him and run if it looks like there's going to be a fight." Grimmjow honestly didn't think Kurosaki's family would try to kill him or the cub Kursoaki had sired, but he wasn't taking chances with his only offspring. The rest of the fraccion understood that.

"Right boss." Rinn said and Tinn nodded. Tigre looked mutinous, but had the sense not to say anything. He didn't want to get left out completely.

They all went into the clinic and Grimmjow looked around warily. 'Clinic' was a medical word, and to the former Espada that brought up images of Szayel and his lab. He'd been a damned good medic, aside from his habit of seeding people with parasites and stuff. Grimmjow had tried very hard to avoid ending up in his clutches.

The cute girl behind the front desk and the humans waiting in the chairs couldn't see or sense him at all. It was sort of hilarious. He was so far above them, they couldn't even perceive him, kind of like that hollow from earlier. Yet, they could probably count past ten with their shoes on. Shrugging to himself, Grimmjow motioned his fraccion to come up behind him and started searching through the place.

He found what he wanted in one of the examining rooms. A man with dark hair was entertaining a young child as he examined him and Grimmjow just leaned against the wall, watching. A sharp look from the man told him that he could definitely see the Espada, but the kid and his mom couldn't. So he wasn't going to talk to thin air in front of them. Unfortunately, Tigre didn't get it.

"He's the one we're here for!" Tigre announced as Rinn and Tinn poked their heads into the room. Then Quel-Anna stuck her snake head in above them, scenting the air with her tongue. "Right papi?"

"Sssmellsss like ssshinigami." Quel-Anna hissed before pulling her head back out. "I leave thisss to you." Grimmjow grinned at that. Quel-Anna was always willing to leave the head banging to him, although she was very good backup.

"Yeah, I think he's the one we want Tigre. But that cub there can't see or hear us, so keep it down, you're distracting him." That was pretty clear the way the guy kept shooting them glares whenever the kid wasn't looking. Grimmjow just cleaned out his ear with his pinky while Tigre explored the room. He found a little tooth model and picked it up, giggling. "Put that down, bebe. You're gonna freak out the cub and his mami." To the kid and the woman behind him, those teeth would be floating in thin air. Tigre scowled but put it down and sighed, kicking the wall with one booted foot.

"This is no fun. When's he going to be done? He can see us, I can tell." Tigre said and Grimmjow scowled. Fortunately, that was when the guy in front of them started telling the mami what he thought was wrong. It all went completely over Grimmjow's head, but ended in him giving her a piece of paper with something written on it. He led them out, and the rest of Grimmjow's fraccion quickly got out of the way to let the humans pass. Then the guy with the dark hair came back, giving them all an impartial scowl.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked sharply and Grimmjow considered him for a moment.

"That depends on who you are. Are you related to Kurosaki Ichigo somehow?" He asked. He had a feeling this might be Ichigo's sire, but he couldn't be sure. The man in front of him frowned.

"I'm his father, Kurosaki Isshin. Who are you?" He asked and Grimmjow grinned. This was the one Ichigo had been worried about, which made the whole thing more entertaining.

"I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, former Sexta Espada. And this is my bebe, Tigre." He touched his cubs' shoulder, then noticed what the kid was up to. He had a finger in one nostril and was trying to get something out. "Tigre! For fuck's sake, that is so disgusting!"

"You do it all the time." Tigre pointed out but removed his finger before he could get a slap. Grimmjow scowled.

"Do what I say, not what I do, bebe. Right…" He forcefully got his mind back on track. "This is my bebe, Tigre, and he's also Ichigo's bebe." He said and had the pleasure of seeing the elder Kurosaki's eyes bug out. "Sure does look like him, doesn't he?" Really, Tigre's paternity could not be denied.

"I am a grandfather…?" The guy sounded disbelieving as he stared at Tigre. The boy scowled, and that made him look more like Kurosaki than ever. "My grandson!" He was suddenly hugging a startled Tigre and Grimmjow tensed for a moment before relaxing. This guy might be weird, but he clearly meant the cub no harm. Tigre seemed to feel otherwise, though, squirming and complaining.

"Hey! What the hell? Stop squeezing me! My hierro isn't as strong as papi's! Papi, help!" Tigre appealed to him and Grimmjow laughed.

"Suck it up bebe, he's not going to kill you." He said and grinned at the betrayed look his offspring shot him. Then the elder Kurosaki left off with the hugging and just held Tigre by the shoulders, looking into his face.

"This is wonderful! But… how did this happen?" He turned to look at Grimmjow, giving the Espada a curious and slightly unsettled look.

"Your kid has an inner hollow." Grimmjow explained. "That hollow got control of him sometime when he was fighting Ulquiorra, and after he reamed the bat he decided to mate me. I didn't realize he was Kurosaki until the shinigami showed up in Los Noches." Grimmjow still felt like a bit of an idiot for not realizing who the vasto lorde was, but he had owned a hollow hole and everything. Kurosaki had never shown him that kind of full transformation. "Anyway, we're here to collect the crap Kurosaki and his friends owe us." Isshin frowned and Grimmjow continued. "Books, clothing and toys for the bebe. We had to leave our last den, so he'll need lots of books." The new den would hold them easily.

"Oh! I see." Isshin sounded much happier now. "I can definitely help you with that. But right now I have appointments. I'm going to be working for hours. Do you think you can keep yourselves occupied until I'm done?" From the way he said it, he was doubtful. Grimmjow grinned.

"Oh sure, we're masters at keeping ourselves occupied." Often with very dubious stuff. Isshin looked a bit ambivalent about that quick reply but glanced out the door. He had patients to see and couldn't put them off much longer. Grimmjow took the hint and gathered up his fraccion. "Let's do some catch and release." That was what Tigre called it when they stalked and captured something, but weren't hungry so they let it go. Most fraccions would never do such a thing, but most fraccions didn't have a cub who was still learning to hunt.

Practicing in the Living world might be a special kind of fun.

* * *

Elsewhere, in Soul Society.

"How could you do that?" Ichigo said to his inner hollow. They'd been having this fight for days, off and on, with no resolution yet.

_Get over it King. I never promised to be faithful to you._ Shiro sounded bored and Ichigo had to hold back some hot words.

Their relationship was... strange. More about physical desires than genuine feelings, it had still become strangely dear to Ichigo's heart. And he'd become rather fond of his cold hearted, maniacal hollow. Shiro had desires and dreams, dreams he'd shared with his King. And one of those dreams...

_And you know why I did it. _Shiro added and Ichigo scowled. _I told you I wanted cubs. Did you think I would just wait for you to do it? And I only picked him because you wanted him, too._

"What! I do not. He's a lunatic!" Ichigo argued and winced as his hollow sent him a mental sneer. He had a magnificent mental sneer.

_Don't lie to me, King. He's sex on two legs and you thought so the instant you saw him. Yeah, he's a lunatic, but that's sexy too. Especially to a hollow. So I just did what you wanted to do, but couldn't. _Ichigo started to object but Shiro just kept talking. _If I'd left it up to you, you'd have tried to make up to him and be his friend or some shit. He's a hollow, King, he wouldn't have understood what the fuck you wanted from him. He'd probably have thought you were trying to make him your fraccion or something, and then he'd have tried to kick your ass. It was much better this way, I knew what to do with him. Now he'll be more receptive to you._ Ichigo blushed, then ran a hand through his hair as he thought.

It was hard to admit that his hollow was right, but he had always been attracted to Grimmjow. Who wouldn't be? Shiro had said it, he was sex on two legs. And Ichigo was gay. He always had been, and Shiro shared all of his inclinations. Still...

"It was incredibly reckless of you to make a child with him, Shiro. I'm only a high school student, how can I commit myself to that?" He asked the hollow.

_Commit to what? The responsibility of raising a cub goes onto the dam. That's Grimmjow, and he doesn't need or want your help._ That made Ichigo scowl, but his hollow forged on. _If you think Tigre will be going to university and shit, you're out of your mind. He's been raised as a hollow. Hell, I'm surprised Grimmjow taught him to read. Heh, I'm surprised Grimmjow can read! _Although they both knew he couldn't read well. He'd looked at a few of Szayel's files and given up completely.

"Damn. My dad is going to be so mad." Ichigo said glumly. He couldn't really blame Isshin, either. His grandson had grown up wild as a wolf, with only a smattering of education from an Espada and all the books in Los Noches. "Why did you want a child right now? I would have gotten around to it." Although Ichigo was guiltily aware that it might not have happened until he was forty, and then perhaps only by adoption. Surrogate mothers were very expensive, and he'd need a significant other in his life.

_Oi, King... I don't like the idea of adoption. Only mami hollows that have lost their cubs would do something like that. And you're right, that surrogacy thing is damned expensive. Isn't this better? And he's a damned fine cub, you know. _Shiro sounded very proud and Ichigo's thoughts went back to the boy he'd seen. He had to admit that Shiro was right. Even as a pre-pubescent child, Tigre's spiritual pressure was massive. It would only get stronger when he hit puberty. _We really should make more cubs with him. See if we can get those twins back._

"Ugh." Ichigo winced as he remembered how casually Grimmjow had admitted to eating them. It made him feel sick.

_There was nothing casual about it, King. He doesn't show his emotions much, but he didn't like talking about it. Don't push him on that._ Shiro said warningly and Ichigo bit his lip before nodding. If Grimmjow had any human emotions at all, he had to be feeling some grief about that loss. _And what he did was perfectly appropriate. The souls of those cubs went back to him, and if we seed him again they'll have their chance._

"That reminds me. I don't really want to remember you killing Ulquiorra, but why can't I remember this part?" Ichigo asked his hollow, annoyed. "You shouldn't be having fun without me!" They were lovers, after all. Shiro sniggered, amused.

_Oh, I can fix that King._ Ichigo gasped as he was suddenly assaulted by visions of Grimmjow. Very, very pleasant visions... and sensations. The feeling of being sheathed inside the Espada, the violent passion of the mating, almost made him pass out. And it definitely left him hard.

"D-damnit Shiro, you bastard!" Ichigo bent over, very grateful he was alone in his rooms. The mess in Soul Society was taking a while to clean up, with little parasitic hollows running all over the place, but he'd probably be going home tomorrow. They didn't need him for this part, now that they knew how to safely detect and excise the eggs.

_Ooops, how clumsy of me. Why don't you manifest me so I can kiss it and make it better?_ Shiro said suggestively and Ichigo couldn't help but smile before manifesting his hollow. The white bastard was handsome as ever, with his elegant jacket and long, white hair. Ichigo grabbed that hair, pulling him into a deep, rough kiss.

"I see you like it rough. I think I want to ride you, Horse." Ichigo said, licking his hollows collarbone seductively as he dragged him to the bed. Shiro didn't fight him, just grinning widely.

"You've already beaten me, King, so that's fine. But if I'm your bitch, then Grimmjow's mine, and I want a chance to ride him again." Shiro purred and Ichigo paused, thinking about it a moment. There were problems. But perhaps they could be resolved.

"If everyone is fine with it and Grimmjow is willing, fine, you can have more hollow babies." Ichigo told his hollow who grinned widely. "But we can do it like this, all three of us. I'm not going to be left out again." He wondered what Grimmjow would make of that. But once he'd experienced the pleasure the two of them could give, Ichigo didn't think his resistence would last long. Their mental connection let them do amazing things.

It would certainly be interesting to see what they could do to Grimmjow.


	3. Sex Kitten

"I really like this place, papi." Tigre said drowsily. Grimmjow yawned, stretching out.

"It's okay." He allowed. They were enjoying the hot springs in Urahara's training area. Rinn and Tinn were sparring and would likely be joining them soon, and Quel -Anna was doing whatever a snake did. She didn't much care for getting wet.

It had taken a bit to convince Tigre to get wet. All the plumbing in Los Noches was busted, no surprise since the water had used to come through a portal to Soul Society combined with pumps and plumbing. It had all been maintained by the Numeros, and they'd completely abandoned Los Noches after the invasion. Grimmjow wasn't sure what had kept the portal open, but it was probably shut too. Hueco Mundo was once again completely waterless.

Once they'd finally gotten Tigre into the pool, though, it had proved difficult to get him out again. The cub was learning to float and swim a bit, although his efforts would learn no prizes. Still, he might be able to avoid drowning if he fell into a river again. Not that it would be much of a problem since he could fly, he'd just panicked the first time.

"Mmm, I'm hungry." Tigre muttered and Grimmjow sighed before making a pill for him. The cub could make his own, but they weren't as good, not as efficiently done. "Thanks papi." Tigre popped it in his mouth and swallowed it whole, grimacing at the sudden burn. The pills really weren't that pleasant to eat, a brutal hit of power to the system. Grimmjow made one for himself and swallowed it, wincing a little at the sensation. He had nothing to compare it to, but if he'd been human it might have been labeled heartburn.

"Are you guys naked?" A wary voice asked and they both looked to see Karin Kurosaki. Grimmjow shook his head as Tigre laughed, jumping up.

"No, gran-papi got us swim trunks! See?" Tigre showed off his swim shorts, which were black with white lines on the sides. Grimmjow didn't bother. His swim shorts were bright red and hugged him like a second skin, but he hadn't gotten them for some human girl.

His mind strayed to Kurosaki as his cub chatted with his... what was the word humans used? Ah, right, Aunt. Grimmjow had trouble remembering the words for all these relationships. A born hollow was lucky to know their sire. Knowing their grandsire and their sire's siblings was completely unknown.

But he was thinking about Kurosaki, not the girl. Grimmjow half-closed his eyes, imagining the vasto lorde that had mated him. It had been a long time since that mating and his body had needs. He'd chosen to remain in Los Noches, isolated except for his bebe, so those needs had remained unanswered. Did he want them to be answered again?

On the whole, Grimmjow thought he did. He was still a bit squicked out by the thought of, well, Kurosaki of all people. But Tigre was a fine cub and that vasto lorde living inside the teen was an acceptable sire. And the mating itself had been good, painful and pleasurable in all the right ways. So, overall, he'd decided he might be amenable to another mating if Kurosaki or his hollow approached him.

It would be up to them to approach him, though. A lower powered hollow approaching a greater for a mating was risky, at best. Since they already had a cub it would be less risky for Grimmjow, but he'd decided to take the safer route. Tigre could survive on his own but he didn't want to put his bebe through that. Without him, the fraccion would likely fall apart and Tigre would be alone. Besides, it was easier on his pride, letting Kurosaki make the first move.

Of course, all of that would depend on the damn teen getting home. Grimmjow growled to himself, ignoring Tigre's quick glance at him. The cub quickly deduced that his papi was just thinking about something and ignored him, slipping out of the water to go play soccer with Karin. Grimmjow let his power sensing follow the bright spark of his cub, and the dimmer spark that was the girl, but stayed in the pool. When the hell would Kurosaki be back? Yes, time ran differently between the worlds but still...

Then Grimmjow sat bolt upright as he felt a brush of power. Grinning to himself, he realized Kurosaki had arrived. He'd probably been home already and gotten an earful from his sire, then come here to see the cub. The spark of the teen's power was coming towards him, though, and Grimmjow settled back in the water with a smirk.

"Grimmjow!" And there he was. The Espada lazily lifted his head to look at the teen. He was in his human body, he could tell from the clothing, which included a shirt with the number fifteen on it. Fifteen? He had no idea what that was about. "What are you doing here?"

"Enjoying the hot pool, duh." He said, pulling himself out of the pool. He had the pleasure of seeing Kurosaki go red, his eyes roving over the front of his body and fixating on the skin tight red swimsuit. "Hey, are we talking or are you just gonna check out my package?" He asked with a fiendish grin and Ichigo squeaked. "Tch." Grimmjow turned away from him, sitting on the edge of the pool, and let just a touch of his pheromones color the air. Just enough to let the vasto lorde know he was receptive, nothing more.

There was no answering wave of pheromones, but Ichigo was kneeling behind him and blunt teeth bit down on his neck, hard. An involuntary gasp was pulled out of his throat as the teen spoke in his ear, his voice dark and echoing.

"Not here. That pervert probably has cameras everywhere, and he's far too interested in how hollow mating goes." Ichigo said and Grimmjow met black and gold eyes, feeling a shiver up his spine at the feral intelligence in that gaze. Pulling away his pheromones he nodded. His son was around, too, and while Grimmjow didn't actually care if Tigre heard him he didn't want to deal with his bebe making fun of him later. "Where is Tigre?" Ichigo asked, his eyes bleeding back to brown.

"Off with Karin, probably playing soccer." Grimmjow answered. The girl had a passion for the game and Tigre could easily enlist Rinn, Tinn and Quel-Anna in the game. Add in that Jinta kid and the other girl and they almost had full teams. The only problem was Quel-Anna, who had accidentally swallowed one ball. She'd tried to puke it up, but it had been too late.

"Ah, I see. Dad said you brought a fraccion?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow nodded.

"I wanted to give you some time to get back, so we put together a fraccion and a den before we stopped over. And you still weren't back yet." The time difference between Hueco Mundo and the rest of the worlds could be a bit much. "So what did your friends in Soul Society have to say about Tigre?" Grimmjow had an idea that that might have been part of what held Ichigo up. The teen sighed.

"Oh, that. Well, things did get a bit hairy, but they finally promised to leave me and my hollow family alone. I wouldn't put it past Mayuri to try hunting for you, though. He was absolutely fascinated by the thought of a true hybrid." Ichigo sounded a bit sour and Grimmjow gave him an inquiring look. "Until now, there were no actual laws about shinigami having intercourse with hollows because, well, no one had tried it. Apparently they're drafting some now." That made Grimmjow snigger.

"No one tried it? Yeah, they only think so, there's always someone with a kink." He said and had the pleasure of seeing Ichigo looking grossed out.

"My hollow thinks you're right. Ugh. Although vasto lorde are humanoid so that's not too bad." He said and Grimmjow decided not to point out that vasto lorde were incredibly rare. A love affair between one of them and a shinigami would have to be even rarer. Something really kinky with an animal type hollow would be a lot more likely.

"Well, whatever. Want to go find the bebe?" Grimmjow asked and Ichigo nodded. Grimmjow slipped out of the pool and dried himself, then stripped off his swimsuit, before donning his clothes. They were the same as always, his old Espada outfit. Tigre had gotten new clothes but Grimmjow hadn't bothered.

Kurosaki's reiatsu sensing sucked, but Grimmjow's emphatically didn't, so he easily ran down the cub and the soccer teams. Grimmjow paused to watch as Rinn elbowed Tinn in the chest, trying to reach the ball. They both got beaten out by Tigre, who batted the ball to Karin. She made a shot for the net but Quel-Anna bapped the ball out of the way with her head.

"Hey bebe!" Grimmjow called as there was a natural pause in the game. "Your sire's finally here! Come say hi!"

"Ichi-nii!" Karin was the one to run up and give her brother a hug, though, a hug that he emphatically returned. Tigre was a bit more cautious but followed her lead and gave the teen a hug. Ichigo returned the hug and Grimmjow could tell he was touched by the gesture.

"You look great, Tigre." Ichigo complimented the cub and Tigre beamed, turning around to show off his clothes.

"Thanks!" He said happily. Tigre was wearing a t-shirt with a tiger on it and a simple pair of jeans, with white and purple cross trainers. It was nothing fancy but it fit much, much better than Lilynette's and Luppi's castoffs. "It feels a lot better! And your sire took me out to get toys and things!" That had required a special gigai to hold the child, but it had worked. Grimmjow had gone along too and firmly vetoed anything that required batteries. If it couldn't work indefinitely in Hueco Mundo he didn't want his cub to have it.

"That's wonderful." Ichigo said, but his tone seemed a bit melancholy to Grimmjow. He looked at the teen curiously, wondering what the problem was. "Did you get some books?"

"Yeah, lots! But your sire keeps trying to teach me math. I don't see what the point is." Tigre said and Grimmjow grinned as Karin looked pained. Isshin had been trying to teach the cub things called multiplication and division. Grimmjow himself could barely handle counting. Addition and subtraction were damned hard for him, anything past that was out of the question. And he hated it, unlike reading which he sort of enjoyed. Tigre had inherited his feelings about math. "And one can be divided, I've seen papi do it. It's just not pretty." Tigre said with a grin and Grimmjow scowled.

"Hey, you stole that from me!" He'd said something along those lines when he'd been listening in on a lesson. "Brat." He added and Ichigo laughed, ruffling Tigre's hair.

"Math is very useful in the Living world, but I admit, it's probably not much use in Hueco Mundo. Are you going to stay a while?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow could tell he was hoping for it.

"Yeah, I'm hoping you people can teach him to talk to his sword." Grimmjow said easily. He knew the first step to mastering a real zanpakuto was learning its name. That was about the limit of his knowledge, though. Ichigo looked a bit puzzled, glancing at Tigre's weapon. It was a short sword, suited to his size and strength. "It's a real zanpakuto, not a power sealing like an arrancar would have." Ichigo's eyes widened and he got a vague look for a moment. Grimmjow thought that meant he was talking to his zanpakuto. "Also, I'm hoping to get a mating in so you can have some siblings to torment." He said to his son and Tigre beamed as Ichigo choked.

"Alright! I'll teach them how to hunt papi, just wait and see." Tigre promised and Grimmjow laughed. His son was actually a very good hunter, although Grimmjow usually made the kills for him. But Tigre had mastered tracking and stalking, all he needed to be truly accomplished was the strength required to make the kills.

"Sure thing, bebe." Grimmjow said, patting his son on the head fondly. "Why don't you show your sire how good a hunter you are? Hey, Rinn!" Rinn quickly came over, looking at them alertly. "Go hide somewhere, okay? We're gonna do a hunting practice."

"Right away boss!" The arrancar said agreeably and Grimmjow grinned as he watched him go. Rinn was a perfect choice for this, he was masterful at hiding his reiatsu. Grimmjow was damn near as good, when he wanted to be, but his intimate connection to Tigre would defeat the exercise. Tigre could find him in the dark, blindfolded.

"Interesting. I can't wait to see." Ichigo's tone had that dark and echoing note that meant the hollow was speaking. Grimmjow glanced over and wasn't surprised to see black and gold eyes. The hollow would certainly appreciate the skill involved far more than a shinigami would.

"You and Ichigo aren't really the same person, right?" Grimmjow asked and the hollow nodded his head ever so slightly. "Do you have a name?" Ichigo grinned widely. It was a disturbing expression to see on the usually scowling teen.

"You may call me Shiro." He said and Grimmjow nodded, glancing at his cub. Tigre was almost vibrating with the need to be out and hunting. But Grimmjow made sure they'd given Rinn enough time before setting his cub loose.

Tigre bounded over the stones, smiling brightly but not making a sound as he hunted down the young arrancar. The trail was difficult to follow and Tigre had to pause several times. At one point, they were in a canyon with the branching paths. Grimmjow and Shiro/Ichigo just stood back as his cub tested the air.

"The trail goes both ways." Tigre muttered as he bent down, sampling the scent further. He didn't neglect the physical signs, but unfortunately the ground was hard as a rock and there were no boot prints. Tigre went down one path for a moment, then paused. "Ah, it's Tinn!" He said softly before doubling back and going the other direction. Grimmjow grinned, very proud of his cub. Glancing over at Shiro he could tell the other hollow was impressed. Telling identical twins apart was one hell of a feat.

Tigre finally did run down Rinn, who was sleeping in a makeshift little den. His cub jumped on the arrancar with a mock growl and they engaged in a playful little tussle as Grimmjow and Shiro watched. Then he sensed a change in the spiritual pressure and glanced at the teen, seeing his eyes were brown again.

"He's a great kid." Ichigo said but he sounded melancholy again. Grimmjow gave him a questioning look. "I've just missed so much of his childhood. Less than a year and he's almost grown." Grimmjow glanced at Tigre for a moment. It would be a while before he hit puberty, but not that long.

"Hate to break this to you, Kurosaki, but you're the sire. You're lucky to see the kid before he's grown." Grimmjow said easily and Ichigo scowled.

"Call me Ichigo. And yeah, I know, Shiro explained all this to me. Unfortunately, my family isn't taking it too well." He said drily and Grimmjow nodded. He'd already had Yuzu tearfully asking him why he hadn't brought Tigre to them sooner, before he was almost as tall as his aunts. The arrancar had had no idea what to say to that. "If we mate again, would you consider staying here, in the Living world?"

"Uh…" Grimmjow blinked as he considered that. It was interesting, but he didn't really like it. "Why? You thinking my cubs could live in this world?" His tone made it clear how likely he thought that was and Ichigo bit his lip. "They'll have shinigami and hollow on both sides, Kuro… Ichigo. It's either Hueco Mundo or Soul Society, but I can't see the cubs fitting in here." They would be deeply imbued with both hollow and shinigami abilities from birth. How could they be happy in the Living world, where they could hardly ever use them? Grimmjow thought of all the times he took his released form just because he wanted to, and grabbed his bebe and took him on a run through Los Noches. When the cub had been tiny, he'd put the toddler on his shoulders. Tigre had taken fistfuls of his hair while Grimmjow held his legs, and the little one had laughed as the sand had flown around them. How could he do something like that here?

"Well, you're the dam. Shiro says it's your decision." From the resigned tone in Kurosaki's voice, he was deferring to the hollow when it came to all this stuff. Grimmjow approved, the vasto lorde clearly had a much better grip on reality than the shinigami. "I'll have to try to explain this to my family, though. That's going to go over so well."

"Yeah, I know. Yuzu is gonna be crying and Karin'll probably kick your ass." Grimmjow said, amused. She hadn't dared threaten him, given that he was both an arrancar and a guest, but he'd heard her muttering about what she was going to do to Ichigo when he showed up. She'd probably restrained herself back there for the sake of the cub but sooner or later she'd get her brother alone. Ichigo didn't seem the least bit surprised. "Go grab the cub, will ya? Rinn's looking tired." No one except for Grimmjow could keep up with Tigre indefinitely. Ichigo grinned and went to fetch his cub, although that dissolved into a second round of tussling. Grimmjow just watched, amused, as Rinn was able to take a break. Kurosaki would learn soon enough.

Tigre's supply of energy was inexhaustible.

* * *

"…And here's the first outfit I've made for him." Ishida said, beaming. Grimmjow growled at the Quincy as Tigre looked over the clothing wide eyed, then edged behind his dam.

"What part of 'needs to work in the desert' did you not understand, Quincy?" Grimmjow asked. He was beginning to see why Kurosaki had laughed when he'd asked for clothes for the bebe. Ishida was a damned fine hand at making the things but he also liked to design them, and things seemed to take a left turn at that point. "Why the hell is there ribbons on it?"

"It's nothing that will impede him, and I've seen the bizarre outfits you arrancar wear." The teen pushed back his glasses and Grimmjow had to privately admit that he had a point. Although his own outfit had definitely been on the simple side. "Let him try it."

"Oh, fine." Grimmjow gave in with ill grace. The damned Quincy had clearly put a lot of effort into the thing, his bebe could try it on. "Go ahead Tigre."

"Um, okay." Tigre said dubiously but put on the shirt. It was actually kind of pretty, a light cream with thick strips of embroidery in geometric patterns. The odd part was the knots of ribbons that trailed down the sleeves, and two similar knots on his chest, held in place with little pieces of leather. The pants that went with it were, thankfully, dress slacks in a matching creamy color. "I like the colors, but why the ribbons?" He asked and Ishida smiled.

"It's a new pattern I got for a Native American ribbon shirt. I think it looks adorable on you! And I have more things for you to try." Grimmjow winced as Ishida picked up more fabric. This one was sky blue, about the same shade as his hair. He didn't think it would really go that well on his bebe.

Thankfully, Ichigo picked that moment to interrupt the stylistic drunken bender. Tigre ran to him and gave his sire a hug, to the teenager's surprise.

"Daddy!" The cub said happily. They'd settled on that name for Ichigo and Shiro, since Grimmjow had papi sewn up. "Is it time to go to the movie?" He asked and Grimmjow grimaced to himself. He didn't much like this modern entertainment stuff, and he wasn't afraid to show it.

"Just about. You're sure you don't want to come, Grimmjow?" Ichigo asked and the arrancar shook his head.

"The movies definitely ain't my thing. You take the cub and I'll just enjoy a night alone." Grimmjow said, a bit surprised at himself. Tigre would be well out of his sensing range and in Hueco Mundo that would have driven his instincts berserk. But his sire would be with him, and the blue haired arrancar found he was willing to trust Shiro and Ichigo with his cubs' welfare. Ichigo might not be able to keep tabs on him with reiatsu sensing, but Shiro most certainly could. "Have a soak in the pool, that sort of thing." They were all staying at Kisuke's, since his fraccion needed some space.

"Okay, see you later Grimmjow." Ichigo said with a smile and Tigre waved.

"Later papi!" Grimmjow smiled as he watched his cub go, then glanced over at the Quincy. He was putting the fabric away.

"Hey, can I see that?" He asked. Might as well get an idea of what the kid wanted to put on his bebe. Ishida looked pleased and they went over all the clothing together. There were some things Grimmjow really liked, like the green vest and pants combo with red ribbon embroidery. "Still not sure about that blue thing. I think it might clash with his hair something fierce."

"Oh. I suppose it might. I was thinking it would match your hair, when he's standing beside you." Uryuu said and Grimmjow had to admit to himself that the teen had a point. Especially when he was in his resurrection.

"Interesting, we'll have to see how it works. I'll bring the bebe back tomorrow, okay?" They made a date and Grimmjow finally left, heading back to Urahara's. The rest of the fraccion was out and about, exploring the Living world and no doubt causing minor havoc. Grimmjow wasn't worried, though. Kurosaki had warned the local shinigami and given descriptions of the arrancar and adjuchas, so they would be unmolested. In return they were trying to keep the thefts down. It wasn't really fair anyway since Rinn and Tinn were invisible to the humans here.

Grimmjow pulled on his red swimsuit before settling into the water of the hot spring. He loved the thing and really couldn't get enough of it. A weak part of him was honestly considering staying just for the water. He wondered what the fraccion would think of that, though. Normally he wouldn't have given a fig what his fraccion thought of anything but staying in an alien world, well, that was rather a big thing. If he decided to do it the only decent thing to do would be to give them the option of leaving. He thought Rinn and Tinn might stay, but he wasn't too sure about Quel-Anna. Not being humanoid made it hard for Kisuke to fit her with a gigai.

Grimmjow looked up as he felt Kurosaki again, then frowned. He didn't feel Tigre with the teen, and he sent his senses rippling over the training area. Nothing except himself and the teen. Scowling, he slid out of the pool just as Ichigo came into view.

"Where's the cub?" He demanded, noting Ichigo's blush as he saw the red swimsuit for a second time. This thing really was great. But he wanted to know where his cub was at, without himself or his sire by his side.

"He's with my dad." Ichigo replied and that made the arrancar relax a little. He knew about Isshin's past as a shinigami now, and he'd been a captain at one time. He was definitely not a pushover. "I think Yuzu's teaching him how to cook, he seems to enjoy it." Grimmjow was a little bemused at that. A perfectly useless skill, in Hueco Mundo, but it was rather necessary in the Living world. "I just… we just came by to see you." Ichigo smiled and Grimmjow smiled back, stepping towards the teen.

"Oh yeah? That sounds excellent." He purred and Ichigo shook his head. But then he added something. "I found the camera Kisuke planted around the hot springs. Gimme one second and it'll be taken care of." He'd gotten a package of gum just for that purpose. It was sitting by the edge of the pool and taking out a stick, he quickly chewed it before walking over to the camera and very thoroughly covering the lens. When he got back, Kurosaki was in the hot pool. Completely naked, too, which was nice.

Grimmjow knelt on the edge of the pool and let his pheromones drift out teasingly. When he was sure he had Ichigo's attention he slid his thumbs under his swimsuit and slowly stripped away the red fabric, making it as slow and teasing as possible.

"Heh, aibou might just burst something, you keep that up." The voice in his ear came as a complete surprise and Grimmjow lost his balance, falling into the pool. Fortunately that awkward entrance into the water couldn't hurt him, with hierro to help, but it was definitely not the smooth dive he'd been planning on. "Ooops." Grimmjow whirled around, glaring, then blinked as he saw the white version of Kurosaki. He was naked, too, and those eyes were extremely familiar.

"Shiro?" He asked uncertainly, then relaxed slightly as the white double grinned and nodded. "I didn't know you could do that." Ichigo had never let on that his hollow could do anything like this. Then Grimmjow twitched as warm arms encircled him from behind and hot breath teased his ear.

"It's how we mate around here. I hope you don't mind, but neither of us wants to be left out." Ichigo said and Grimmjow blinked at the thought. Two of them? But he could feel Ichigo's distinct shinigami power behind him, and the extremely hollow power in front. They were the same person, just split.

"Can't remember the last time I've done something like this." Grimmjow said and saw Shiro grin. "Okay, I've never done something like this. Get that grin off your face." He said, a touch testily, and the grin just widened. Shiro knew that hollows were generally far, far too jealous to share mates. The only possible exception was identical twins like Rinn and Tinn. Such twins would work together to secure a mate and then share in the mating, but that was the limit of cooperation.

"You'll like it, I promise." Shiro said and Grimmjow groaned as strong pheromones filled the air. He replied by upping his own output, then gasped as Ichigo bit him on the throat again. It seemed to be a favorite spot for him, and the arrancar wasn't about to object. It felt damned good.

"Fuck." He muttered as Shiro tweaked his nipples, hardening the sensitive flesh. Gripping that long white hair, he pulled the inner hollow into a deep, passionate kiss. Shiro sucked on his lower lip greedily before letting go with a small pop, a small line of saliva connecting them. Ichigo was exploring his body from behind, warm hands trailing over hard muscles as the teen nipped his throat. It was gentler than what a hollow would have done but still good. "How you planning to do this?" He'd never been in a threesome before. Shiro grinned at him, sitting on the edge of the pool.

"Come here kitten." He purred and Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. He'd never even let his bebe call him that. "Oh, are you mad?" The hollow moved with blinding speed and Grimmjow gasped as a pure white hand grasped his hair, yanking his head back. The pain was good and he growled, baring his fangs and clashing his power against the vasto lorde's. "You need to evolve a bit more before you can beat me, _kitten."_

"Fuck you – ah!" Ichigo chose that moment to bite his neck and Grimmjow arched, growling as the two effortlessly dominated him. "Damn it." He panted softly as white hands yanked him into the desired position. And that was his face in front of Shiro's dick. Grimmjow had never given this kind of pleasure before but he didn't hesitate, taking the white flesh into his mouth. It tasted interesting, not bad, just different. Pheromones and power flared and, probably prompted by his hollow, Ichigo suddenly took him from behind. "Mmmf!" Sharp canine teeth scraped against skin as the arrancar spasmed, his insides tightening at the sudden intrusion. Shiro only chuckled, enjoying the pleasant stimulation against his hierro. "Mmmf." Grimmjow gripped the sides of the pool, steadying himself as he sucked on the albino like there was no tomorrow. And if he didn't please the vasto lorde, there might not be. That whiff of danger in the air made everything better and Kurosaki's cock was big and hard inside him, taking him roughly. Not as painfully as the first time but still damned good.

"Grimmjow, ah!" Ichigo said his name like this was the best thing he'd ever felt. "So tight…" The teen gasped and Grimmjow chuckled, the vibrations in his throat stimulating Shiro. He took the other deeper in his throat and was a little surprised at himself when his nose nudged damp white curls. Then Ichigo gripped his cock and did something really good and Grimmjow almost lost it, his fingers going white as he clung onto the rocks to steady himself. There was a chuckle above him and white hands slid through soft blue hair.

"Don't let go too soon, kitten. Or actually, let go whenever you want. We'll just make you cum again." Shiro's voice was a dark, seductive whisper and Grimmjow groaned at the thought. Ichigo's thrusts were rocking him hard, now, and Shiro's hand behind his head was keeping him locked onto that white cock. It was becoming a little hard to breath but he didn't care, caught up in the sensations.

"Fuck you are so good!" Ichigo said before slapping him on the ass. Grimmjow jerked in surprise at the sudden pain, his teeth scraping over Shiro again. That made the vasto lorde groan and spread his legs slightly. Grimmjow took the silent hint and freed one hand, using it to fondle Shiro's balls. The vasto lorde liked that, he could tell, and a soft growl urged him onwards.

The pleasure was reaching mind numbing heights, as Ichigo gave him attention to his prostate and his cock. That was unusual, the shinigami clearly cared about Grimmjow's pleasure and delighted in making him squirm. Grimmjow shuddered as the teen ran a thumb along the underside of his cock, teasing the straining flesh. His thrusts were becoming fast and erratic and Grimmjow could sense he was nearing the end of his endurance. How long had they been doing this? The arrancar wasn't sure, but it had been a while. Shiro's breaths were coming shorter too, his cock throbbing and dripping precum, making the arrancar swallow to keep from choking.

"Grimmjow, fuck, ah!" Ichigo took him in a powerful series of thrusts before suddenly stiffening and the wave of power ripping through him made the arrancar gasp. His own orgasm tore through him, a moment of indescribable pleasure. Then he heard Shiro growl and felt the length inside his throat throb, hard. That was all the warning he got before the albino tried to drown him, keeping a firm grip on his head and making him swallow it all. The taste of it was strangely good, and Grimmjow felt the hollow power flow into him and mix with the shinigami that Ichigo had pumped him with.

It wasn't a successful conception, though. He knew that instantly, but it didn't bother him. That meant they could do this again, preferably many times. Grimmjow grinned to himself as he was allowed to pull away from Shiro's crotch, feeling it as Ichigo pulled out of his body.

He wouldn't object to doing this again, kitten or not.


	4. Kukkapuro

"No." Furious blue eyes met black and gold. There was no give in either of them.

"You don't get to say no, bitch." Shiro snarled, taking a slow step towards the bed. Ichigo was watching the interaction and frowning. "Do it." He ordered and Grimmjow bared his fangs in a snarl.

"I will not jack off while you two watch!" Grimmjow hissed and his temper sent his reiatsu flying around the room. Ichigo and Shiro didn't react a bit, and his family was used to it, but a chipmunk outside fell out of its tree in a dead faint. "You can't fucking well make me!"

"Yes I – huh?" Shiro stopped as Ichigo's hand landed on his arm. He scowled at his King, who scowled right back.

"If he doesn't want to do it, he doesn't have to do it. Leave him alone, Shiro." He said firmly and Grimmjow watched them interacting warily. The white hollow hissed.

"You're letting him be disobedient, King – ow!" Shiro winced slightly as Ichigo took a good grip on his hair, yanking it firmly so his throat was exposed. "Nnn…" Grimmjow's eyes widened as blunt, human teeth grazed that straining flesh, giving his hollow a warning nip. His point made, Ichigo loosened his grip and spoke again.

"I let you be disobedient all the time, Shiro. If you're going to show him his place, I'll have to show you yours, Horse." The teen said, his tone dangerous. Grimmjow swallowed as the tension in the air got to his libido. For hollows, these sorts of dominance games were very sexy. And Shiro felt the same way, if the way he was leaning against Ichigo was any indication.

"Oh, fine. But it would have been so pretty…" The hollow sighed as Ichigo stroked his white hair, sliding his hand down his back. "That feels good."

"I'll show you how good it can feel." Ichigo said, his voice full of promises. He drew a calmed and almost eager Shiro to the bed. Black and gold eyes met brown for a moment before Shiro knelt in front of Grimmjow, smiling. Grimmjow tensed briefly but the hollow leaned forward to kiss him. It was too gentle and he growled, gripping the back of Shiro's head as he struggled to dominate the kiss. That immediately ignited the other hollow and Shiro hissed in his mouth, their tongues fighting for dominance. The fight ended in Shiro's favor and Grimmjow allowed himself to submit, raising his power and his pheromones.

"Shit, you are so fucking sexy." Shiro said as he pulled away, his black and gold eyes half-lidded with pleasure. "Nnngh, Ichigo…" The inner hollow moaned and Grimmjow blinked as he realized something was going behind his pale lover. He'd missed it, preoccupied with the kiss. Ichigo was behind his hollow, parting white buttocks and exploring his entrance with his tongue. Grimmjow swallowed at the sight. The truth was, hollows tended to be very fixated on the main event. That was what mating was about, after all, and most of them didn't have bodies that allowed for foreplay anyway. He'd learned a bit about it since becoming an arrancar, but this was still new. And it looked hot. "Shit!" Shiro panted, cupping Grimmjow's balls with one hand and stroking the sensitive flesh. That felt damned good and Grimmjow grunted softly as the hand moved to his dick, stroking and squeezing.

"Suck him." Came the soft command behind the hollow and Grimmjow's eyes widened. He expected Shiro to protest but he obeyed without question, lowering his face and taking the Espada's cock in his mouth. Grimmjow tangled his fingers in long white hair, groaning as he was enclosed in warm, wet heat. The hollow's mouth felt excellent around him, his tongue flicking and teasing him in all the right ways. "Good. You can take him now." Ichigo told his hollow as he rubbed his erection against his hollow's snowy white ass.

"Love it when you get so demanding, King…" Shiro said as he pulled away, his voice breathy with desire. Grimmjow took a fistful of that white hair and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss as the hollow straddled his body. "Mmm…" Grimmjow savored the kiss, but he wasn't just going to lie here and take it. He reached up to tweak the hollow's nipples, enjoying the way Shiro moaned in his mouth. Then his legs were being parted as white hands gripped his thighs.

The hollow took him hard and quick, making the arrancar gasp in pain and pleasure. There was a matching gasp from Shiro as Ichigo took him from behind, riding him as he rode Grimmjow. That let Ichigo set the pace, and he did, reminding them both of who was in charge. Grimmjow groaned as his cock rubbed against his belly, begging for more attention. Shiro seemed to understand what he wanted and chuckled, reaching down to stroke that sensitive flesh as the pace increased.

Grimmjow writhed in pleasurable torment as Shiro explored his insides, finding his pleasure spots and using them against him. The albino was grinning wickedly, but every so often he would gasp and his eyes would go wide as Ichigo did something inside him. Grimmjow loved those moments, the signs that the vasto lorde was not the one in control. It was sexy as hell, and he only wished he was the one causing those gasps.

Those gasps came more and more frequently, as Ichigo gradually increased the pace, driving his hollow into Grimmjow. Shiro was gripping the arrancar's hips now, jerking him closer in an effort to get just a bit deeper into the sweet, gripping heat. Grimmjow's hands were caught up in pure white hair, soft and silky. He tugged Shiro into another kiss as the passion mounted, becoming something just this side of bearable. Shiro was finding his prostate now, hitting it with every hard, fast thrust. Grimmjow moaned, tossing his head back and gasping as sharp fangs fastened onto his hierro. He wasn't trying very hard, but he couldn't stop Shiro from nipping him, raising bloody welts that filled the albino's mouth with delicious heat.

The ending was a domino effect. Grimmjow cried out as the pleasure became too much, then tensed abruptly, his body spasming as he came. His semen splattered over his belly and chest, and Shiro hissed before tensing up in turn, filling Grimmjow's body with seed and dark, hollow power. The feel of Shiro's insides clenching tightly around him brought Ichigo over the edge, and shinigami power joined the mix. But it was not a successful conception. Grimmjow wasn't too surprised – Ichigo's power was removed, and he was pretty sure he needed both – but he was a little disappointed. Conceiving was proving to be much harder than he had expected.

He didn't much care, though. It meant more practice and Grimmjow smiled dreamily as he enjoyed the post orgasm bliss. They slowly separated from each other and lay down together, filling the small bed with their exhausted bodies.

"Mmm, that was good." Grimmjow sighed softly. "Hey, Shiro, I've been meaning to ask." He said lazily. He'd been curious about this ever since the day the vasto lorde had mated him. "Why me? Why did you pick me instead of Ulquiorra?" Shiro had had every opportunity to mate the other Espada. Ulquiorra had always been addicted to logic, if Shiro had demonstrated his superiority then given the bat the choice between death and mating, Grimmjow knew which way he would have gone. And he would have been a better choice in terms of raw power. But instead, Shiro had snuffed him out like a candle. The vasto lorde snorted.

"Just didn't like him. All that shit about making King feel despair… that's just not what Ichigo does. Give in? Accept death? Fuck that! Die fighting, die kicking and spitting in the face of your enemy!" Shiro said with relish and Grimmjow grinned. That was how he lived, too. "I will admit, that's one thing that King's always done right."

"Thanks for the compliment, Shiro." Ichigo said sleepily and Grimmjow laughed. "Although that wasn't exactly what I was thinking. I was thinking about how I had to win for Inoue, for all my friends…" He yawned, cuddling up beside Grimmjow. Shiro shrugged.

"Whatever. You never admit you're beaten and I like that. So yeah, I just didn't like that bastard. I liked you, though." Shiro was lying lower down on the bed, his face near Grimmjow's hollow hole. That might have alarmed him under other circumstances. As it was, he shivered as Shiro slowly licked the outer edge of his hole. "You've got the right attitude. That same 'fuck you, I'm gonna win' thing that King has got."

"Ulquiorra would of said we're all dumber than a box of hammers." Grimmjow observed, which only underscored Shiro's point, really. Ulquiorra just couldn't have understood how Ichigo and his hollow felt. He'd never understood Grimmjow either, just dismissed him as mindless trash. "But I like it too." This was the kind of attitude he wanted for his cubs. Shiro chuckled softly, sliding an arm around his waist and cuddling up.

"Of course you do, you're dumber than a box of hammers…" Shiro's voice was becoming thick with sleep, and Grimmjow knew that as soon as he drifted off the vasto lorde would return to Ichigo's inner world. But for now, he just enjoyed the presence of the both of his mates.

He was really having fun with this.

* * *

_You are absolutely evil King._ His hollow said admiringly as Ichigo held a very large and slightly vibrating box. _I thought I was evil but you have me beat, hands down._

"Oh shut up! My dad thought this was a great idea." Ichigo snapped, a bit flustered. What he was doing was a touch manipulative, but the truth was, he wanted Grimmjow to stick around. He wanted to see his new children, whenever they got the Espada pregnant. That could only happen if he could convince Grimmjow to stay, and this might be just the thing to help with that.

_Yeah, well, shinigami know all about manipulation. And he's getting really attached to the cub. Who would have thought they would bond over random attacks?_ Shiro said and Ichigo grimaced, then laughed softly. Grimmjow wasn't as bad about it as Isshin, but he believed in pushing his cub hard. So Isshin's surprise attacks had yet to succeed, and Tigre was rather proud of his success against his grandsire._ It's no wonder he thought this was a good idea._

"Karin and Yuzu are happy too – ah!" They were waiting in the training area for Grimmjow and Tigre. All the arrancar were still living at Urahara's, and he didn't seem to mind, probably since it let him do quite a bit of research on them. And he could sense that the Espada and his cub had just entered.

"…And so then Quel-Anna ate it! Rinn almost cried – oh, hey daddy!" Tigre said cheerfully, immediately spotting the box in his arms. "What have you got there?" He asked curiously, his nose twitching. "It smells alive." Ichigo wasn't surprised Tigre could tell that.

"A gift for you." He said with a smile before handing the box to Tigre. The boy looked at it, slightly bewildered, before setting it down and opening it. As soon as he'd loosened the lid a bit, it popped open and a head poked out.

"Oh!" Tigre exclaimed, surprised, as Grimmjow looked at the creature curiously. "Daddy, papi, what is it?" He lifted the little puppy out of the box and Ichigo grinned. Tigre looked enchanted. Everything was going according to plan.

"It's like Kukkapuro." Grimmjow said as the pup licked Tigre's face energetically, making the young hybrid giggle. "Kukkapuro was this really weird Numero that followed Yammy around. He looked just like that but with a mask over his face… but I don't know what this is. What is it, Ichigo?" He asked and Ichigo laughed.

"It's a dog." He explained, reaching down to gently pet the puppy's ears. "Humans and shinigami keep them as companions. They're very affectionate and they can also be trained to guard and attack." He thought that would interest Grimmjow and he was right. The arrancar looked more closely at the puppy. Then he frowned.

"Kukkapuro was a damned nuisance, most of the time. Is this thing going to be a pain in the ass?" He asked suspiciously and Ichigo winced to himself.

"Well, dogs do need some upkeep. But I'm sure you can teach your fraccion how to help." Ichigo said optimistically. He was actually a little afraid they would look at the puppy as something to eat. "He's a Doberman Pincher, so he's going to need a lot of exercise." Ichigo was sure that wouldn't be a problem, though. Tigre wasn't a normal boy and he could run the dog into the ground any time he wanted. "I'll show you how to walk him. When he's older, you can run with him." Grimmjow and Tigre often ran just for the sheer joy of it. Tigre beamed.

"That sounds great! I really like him, papi, he's so soft and cuddly!" Tigre said happily and Grimmjow grunted, giving Ichigo a suspicious look. He only smiled back as innocently as he could, listening to Shiro snicker. "Can I name him?"

"Nah, he's already got a name." Grimmjow said before Ichigo could respond, to his surprise. He was even more surprised when the arrancar smiled. "Kukkapuro."

"Kukkapuro." Tigre repeated, cuddling the puppy before setting him on the ground. The young dog jumped on his legs, eager to play, and Ichigo fished a ball out of the box and tossed it. The puppy went running after it, to Tigre's delight. Soon his son was playing with the dog as his sire and dam both watched.

"Did you like Kukkapuro? The original one, I mean?" Ichigo asked curiously. Grimmjow shrugged.

"A little. Like the cub said, he was soft and cuddly. He didn't have much use for me, though. He was dead set on following Yammy everywhere." Grimmjow watched as Tigre tossed the ball again then sonido'd over to it, reaching it before the puppy could. "Hey bebe, that's cheating! …Yeah. I can't remember much about my human time, but I wonder if I had one of those."

"You probably did. They're very common." Ichigo smiled as he imagined Grimmjow with a dog of his own. What kind would it be? It would have to be a big dog. Maybe a Husky? An arm slipped around his waist and Ichigo blinked, surprised but pleased as he leaned into Grimmjow's embrace.

"This is a trick, isn't it?" Grimmjow said and Ichigo glanced into his face. The arrancar seemed amused rather than upset. "That thing can't live in Hueco Mundo. You're trying to get us to stay, aren't you?"

_I wondered how long it would take him to figure it out. He's not mad though, that's weird._ Shiro commented as Ichigo swallowed. They'd both expected the Espada to be furious when he figured it out. Grimmjow seemed to catch that from his expression and he suddenly grinned widely.

"Ah, don't piss your pants shinigami." He said teasingly and Ichigo scowled as Shiro hissed. As if they were scared! "I've decided to stay anyway."

"Wait, you have?" That took his attention away from the minor insult. "Really? You mean it?" He said hopefully and Grimmjow snorted.

"Have I ever been in the habit of saying things I don't mean, shinigami?" He said roughly and Ichigo felt his heart soar. "I kinda like it here, and it'll be safer for the cubs. And now that Kisuke's managing to make a gigai for Quel-Anna, the fraccion wants to stay too." Kisuke was quite sure now that he would be able to fit Quel-Anna into a humanoid gigai without too much discomfort. And the adjuchas was very interested in having hands again. That would make a huge difference for how much she could interact with the living world. "We will need to go back to Hueco Mundo sometimes. But with the time difference, that shouldn't be a problem."

"Sure." Ichigo agreed happily. He wasn't sure why Grimmjow would want to go back – hunting practice, maybe? – but he wasn't going to quibble, not when the arrancar had decided to stay in the Living world. His father and sisters were going to be overjoyed, when he told them. Although… "It's too late for Tigre, really, but will our new children go to school?" He asked himself. "Homeschooling might be better." Grimmjow could handle a lot of that. He knew how to read and he actually seemed to like it. Although he and Isshin would have to handle math. Grimmjow's ignorance of that subject was endless. Grimmjow just shrugged.

"We'll need to worry about making cubs first. Speaking of which… while Tigre's all distracted…" Grimmjow breathed in his ear and Ichigo shivered before nibbling on the arrancar's neck. That sounded like a great idea, and they did have the hot springs handy. Shiro rose up inside him, but didn't separate. They'd talked it over and they both thought their usual separation might be the reason Grimmjow was finding it hard to conceive. Maybe if they mated with him together, like the first time, it would work.

"That sounds great. Let's go." Ichigo said, his voice echoing with Shiro's darker tones. Leaving Tigre to his play, they went to the hot spring. The cub would be able to find them easily enough, and one touch of their reiatsu would tell him what they were up to. After the first time he'd interrupted them, Tigre had figured out how to recognize the pheromones surrounding sex. He couldn't respond to them yet, but that would be coming soon. He never would respond to Grimmjow's pheromones, though. That was an instinctive thing, an automatic recognition to his dam. He might respond to Shiro's, though, and Ichigo reminded himself to be careful in the future.

Teenagers were normally sex crazed. He didn't want to make it worse.

* * *

"Tch." Grimmjow grumbled and Ichigo lazily looked up from his spot on the bed. They'd just finished a beautiful round of sex and he was feeling loose and sleepy. "This isn't working."

"No conception again?" Ichigo asked, only mildly concerned. They'd only been together a few months. It wasn't that long, really. Grimmjow hissed unhappily.

"No. I'm wondering if there's a problem with me." He admitted and Ichigo blinked, lifting his head from the bed. "Aizen didn't want us breeding so we were never sure how fertile arrancar would be. Szayel did some tests but he never told us the results, the bastard." Grimmjow growled and Ichigo frowned. It really hadn't been that long. He knew women tried for years to become pregnant. Why was the Espada stressing out about it?

_It doesn't work that way for hollows, King._ Shiro said and his hollow sounded dead serious, for once. _When we throw out pheromones and engage in the battle dance, or foreplay, whatever, it tells the body to make eggs. Every time we mate with him there should be a half-dozen or so eggs trying to take our seed. For hollows, one mating is usually enough. More than four is almost unheard of._ Ichigo blinked, frowning. Leaving out all the times they'd mated as a threesome, they'd still made love more than four times. _I didn't say anything because I figured there's a good chance the problem is us. But it might be him. We must have gotten really lucky that first time._

"We'll have to go talk to Kisuke." Grimmjow said and Ichigo frowned. He sounded like he was looking forward to it like a hole in the head. "I bet he'll have to harvest some of my eggs. I HATE that." He muttered and Ichigo could sense Shiro's interest. He didn't know enough to ask the right questions, so he let the hollow speak through him.

"Harvest your eggs? How is that done?" Shiro asked and Grimmjow glanced over, seeing the black and gold eyes.

"It's not much fun." Grimmjow said, leaning back against a pillow. "Aizen ordered me to help Szayel with his experiments once, since he wanted some Espada eggs, and I got the privilege of experiencing that shit." He grimaced before explaining. "See, you'll have to release your pheromones and tease me a bit, get the eggs ready. Then they'll have to be removed with kido. That won't kill my desire, but it _will_ stop me from doing anything about it." Grimmjow's tone was very sour and Shiro tittered a little. "Yeah, yeah, sounds funny doesn't it? You two are going to have to spar with me when it's over, get some of the frustration out."

"So it's like, instant impotence?" Shiro asked, highly entertained, as Ichigo winced a little inside. Grimmjow gave his hollow a glare and Ichigo took back control of his body, listening to Shiro titter on the inside. "Sorry. That doesn't sound like much fun." He apologized to the arrancar and the glare lessened.

"It's not. But we'll do what we have to do. I really want those girls back, there must be a way to make this work." Grimmjow said firmly and Ichigo nodded. He reached out to take the Espada's hand, squeezing it gently.

"It can take humans years to have a baby, you know. And it can take even longer for shinigami." He said quietly, seeing Grimmjow frown at the thought. "Arrancar are very shinigami-like, so your chances might have gone down. But if so, we can just keep trying." He was more than willing to keep trying with this handsome man. Grimmjow gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, trying sounds good." He agreed and Ichigo was tempted to go another round right there. But he still had school tomorrow. It was his final year, he needed to do well. "But you need to sleep. Let's worry about all this shit tomorrow."

"Right." Ichigo agreed before closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift off. The warmth of his lover beside him, the peaceful sounds of the night outside his window, all conspired to lull him to sleep.

They would have plenty of time to worry about things tomorrow.


	5. Science and Tigers, oh my

Ichigo grunted as he blocked the blow from Grimmjow's sword. The arrancar was panting heavily and covered in a light sheen of sweat, which made him look delicious. Unfortunately, this was nothing but a spar.

Having his eggs harvested was every bit as uncomfortable as Grimmjow had said it would be. It wasn't too great for Shiro and Ichigo, either. Theoretically, they could have taken Grimmjow anyway, but the thought repulsed them both. Ichigo genuinely cared about the arrancar, and Shiro didn't want a partner who couldn't enjoy it. So instead, they sparred. They weren't using any powers, just skill and muscle, which was fine. Having the eggs harvested also compromised Grimmjow's power for a while, so this was better.

Ichigo attacked, driving the arrancar back, then grinned as he saw an opening. His sword darted out as he took it but then his eyes widened as Grimmjow grinned. A fist slammed into his belly – how had he done that? – and Ichigo landed on his ass, gasping.

_Not paying enough attention, King._ His hollow chided him and Ichigo cursed to himself. _If you're going to fight like this, you need to use your brain. He's damned good even if he isn't as powerful as us._

"Yeah, I know." He muttered as he rose painfully. Grimmjow gave him the time he needed and Ichigo was pleased to see the feral wildness was starting to fade from his eyes. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah." The arrancar answered, his sword pointing at the ground. "Did you want to call it for now? I think Tigre's looking for us." He glanced around as though he felt something. Ichigo felt Shiro extend his senses, searching for their son.

_He definitely is and he feels excited. We should go see what's going on._ Shiro said and Ichigo nodded, slinging his sword over his back. Grimmjow sheathed Pantera and they both started out of the training area.

"Papi!" Tigre was in the shop and almost tackled Grimmjow, he was so enthusiastic. The Espada caught him easily with a grin. "Guess what?!"

"You'll have to tell me bebe, I'm no good at guessing games." Grimmjow said with a chuckle, ruffling his son's hair. Ichigo just watched with a smile, feeling Shiro purring with contentment inside him. The hollow really seemed to love watching his mate and cub together.

"I learned the name of my sword!" He said happily, surprising them all. Ichigo had cautioned Grimmjow that learning the name of a sword in a normal fashion could take a while. Zanpakuto tended to be standoffish. "He's Doragon Roja!"

"Red dragon? Huh!" Grimmjow sounded amused. "A bilingual name, too." Ichigo nodded. Doragon was Japanese for dragon, while Roja was Spanish for red. "Sort of fitting. So do you have your shikai?" He asked and Tigre nodded, beaming, and pulled out his sword.

"Fly, Doragon!" The sword didn't change much, just taking on a bronze hue. Ichigo had the feeling the shape of it would change as Tigre got older and gained more height and strength. But tiny little bronze balls flew through the air, held up by tiny bat wings. "They explode when they – no!" Ichigo and Grimmjow both winced as a vase met a sad and final end as an errant ball impacted it. Tigre quickly shut down his shikai, looking mortified. Ichigo smiled as Shiro tittered in the back of his mind.

"It's a very good power; you'll just have to work at mastering it." Ichigo said encouragingly as Grimmjow stirred the broken bits with his toe. "Let's get this cleaned up." He was sure Urahara wouldn't mind much. Most of the vases and things were courtesy of Ikea and not remotely expensive. He'd mention it to the shopkeeper anyway, though, just in case. Grimmjow rescued the fallen flowers and added them to a different vase.

"I'm sorry." Tigre said as Ichigo looked around for the dustpan. With that and a small broom, he soon had the vase fragments whisked away.

"Nothin' to worry about, bebe." Grimmjow assured him and Ichigo nodded. "Want to go see what Urahara's found out?" He asked and Ichigo frowned before nodding again. The shopkeeper had promised that he would have some answers for them tonight. Today had been the third time he'd harvested eggs from Grimmjow, and he seemed quite confident he would have what they needed soon.

"Can I come too?" Tigre asked and Ichigo and Grimmjow exchanged a glance. He really wasn't certain he wanted Tigre listening in on this, and from the look on his face Grimmjow felt the same way.

_Let him come, King. It might be important for him too. He's going to finish growing up soon._ Ichigo grimaced but admitted his hollow had a point. Tigre had already grown an inch since he arrived. The kid was sprouting like a weed.

"Sure, but no making terrible jokes." He said and Tigre grinned as Grimmjow growled.

"Or I'll cuff you." The arrancar added and Tigre tried to look serious. The smile trying to break out rather spoiled it, though. "Ah, cub… come on, let's go." Grimmjow led them to the back, where Urahara was looking at something in delight. It was a bright blue ball, captured in a glass dome and Ichigo looked at it curiously.

"Ichigo, Grimmjow! Excellent timing, I just finished." The shopkeeper said cheerfully, waving his fan. "I have some good news and some bad news. Which would you like first?" Tigre went to the globe, peering at it curiously as the adults talked.

"The bad news." Grimmjow said immediately and Urahara smiled. To Ichigo, that said the bad news probably wasn't too bad. He hoped not, anyway.

"Well, the bad news is that your fertility has certainly decreased." Urahara said and Grimmjow growled softly as Ichigo winced. It wasn't a surprise but it still wasn't welcome news. "It seems there's a very fragile moment when the eggs first form. Any that aren't balanced properly… pop, and return to you. I was able to observe that when I was harvesting them. That leaves you with only one or two eggs a mating, generally." He said, then glanced at Ichigo. "There's a second delicate moment when the eggs are inseminated. First, it has to be a mix of shinigami and hollow power – they don't seem to recognize anything else –" Ichigo nodded. So Shiro and Grimmjow had been right, they needed to have sex with the Espada as one person. "And most of the remaining eggs fail when they try to assimilate it. I'm not sure if that's because of Kurosaki's nature or just because the eggs are delicate."

"Great." Grimmjow sighed, glancing at his cub. Tigre had been listening with a frown. "So what's the good news?" He asked sourly and Urahara's smile widened into a grin.

"Why, the good news is that one egg survived all my experiments!" He said cheerfully, lifting up the little blue globe in its glass dome. Grimmjow's eyes went wide and Ichigo blinked. "It's ready to be implanted. Would you like me to go ahead?"

"Hell yes!" Grimmjow exclaimed and Urahara pulled away the glass casing, catching the little ball in one hand and gently enfolding it with kido. Then he placed the ball directly into Grimmjow's hollow hole. The Espada grunted and suddenly bent over. Ichigo put an arm around his shoulders, watching as pain flashed across his face. "Ow." He muttered, but it didn't look like anything serious. A moment later he straightened and Ichigo was shocked to see that his hollow hole was gone. "Not used to that happening all at once." He said, rubbing the filled in space.

"Is that normal, or is it just the placement of your hollow hole?" He questioned and Grimmjow gave him a smile, still rubbing his suddenly completed six pack.

"It's normal. Hollows lose their holes when they're pregnant, don't ask me why." Grimmjow shrugged as Urahara looked very curious. "Let me guess, you want to examine me?" He said sourly and the scientist gave him a sunny smile.

"It's like you read my mind!" He said and Grimmjow sighed but allowed him to run several scans. Ichigo just watched as Tigre got bored and finally left to go play with Kukkapuro. Grimmjow actually handled the scientific curiosity quite patiently, which surprised him a little. But then, he'd tolerated the egg harvesting pretty well, despite how much it irritated him.

_I wonder how many times that Szayel character put him through it, heh._ Shiro said and Ichigo nodded. His hollow was probably right, Grimmjow was likely an old hand at this. Then he thought of something.

"Hey, Kisuke? So this means an arrancar can't have a child with a normal shinigami, right?" He asked and the shopkeeper made a see-sawing gesture with his hand.

"Well, yes and no. An arrancar certainly can't be impregnated by a shinigami. However, there's nothing to say that a shinigami can't be impregnated by an arrancar. I haven't done any experiments on that yet. Speaking of which, I have plenty of reiatsu samples. Would you mind if I ran that experiment?" Urahara asked cheerfully and Ichigo wondered whose eggs he would use for it. Yoruichi? "It might be useful to know for your son."

"Before he goes and knocks up half the Seireitei? Heh. A bit premature, old man." Grimmjow said with a grin. "If it turns out an arrancar can knock up a shinigami, what will you do with the eggs?" He asked seriously and Ichigo frowned.

"Oh… destroy them, I suppose." Urahara said, a little taken aback. "We could donate them but I doubt many shinigami would be interested in carrying a hybrid child." Grimmjow grimaced and Ichigo thought he understood why. The arrancar was used to thinking of eggs as being little souls, spun from his body, which was composed of nothing but souls. He hadn't been too happy about the thought of any of them 'popping' outside his body.

"If you shinigami are okay with that, I guess it'll be fine." Grimmjow said a touch sourly. "And it will be good to know for Tigre." Ichigo nodded. Tigre hadn't met any of the shinigami yet, since the first meeting, but that would likely come in time.

Although he didn't know it, that time was today. Elsewhere, near the park, Rinn and Tinn were stalking a basic hollow. Mainly to amuse themselves since it didn't have even the remotest hope of sensing them, but also for a quick meal. Getting tired of the game they pounced. The hollow didn't even have the chance to struggle before it was neatly divided between them and they began to eat.

"This one has a bit more to it than usual. Must have been having some success hunting pluses." Rinn said approvingly as he ate. The more souls a hollow contained, the longer it took to eat it. Tinn nodded.

"Yeah, it's not completely air like – ah!" Rinn looked up from his portion and yelped along with Tinn.

"Shinigami! Um, please don't kill us? We're Grimmjow's fraccion!" He said rapidly as the two shinigami, a man and a woman, just looked at them. Rinn and Tinn both knew the extent of their power and knew it wasn't good. They could defeat basic shinigami, perhaps, but anything more than that would give them problems. And they could tell that both of these people were beyond that. The man grinned and laughed at their panic.

"Hah, calm down. We already knew about you, we've been getting regular reports." That made the twins blink and Rinn made a note to tell Grimmjow about that. Regular reports? Was Ichigo making them, or Urahara? "So you guys are staying with Urahara, right? Is Ichigo there?"

"He was when we left." Tinn answered. "We didn't want to stick around while they were doing the harvesting." Rinn nodded. The pheromones and the incomplete conclusion made that process hard to be around for the arrancar and the adjuchas. So all three of them had found places to be, although Quel-Anna had just gone to the roof to read a book. She was enjoying her new gigai.

"Harvesting?" The shinigami looked a little confused and Rinn and Tinn exchanged a look. They really didn't want to go into that with these two.

"Harvesting eggs. You probably don't want to know." Tinn answered and the man frowned. Then the woman spoke up.

"They're talking about fertility treatments, Renji. He's right, we probably don't want to know. Come on, let's go see them. I'm Rukia, by the way." She said to the two arrancar. Renji went a little pale at the thought of fertility treatments, and nodded. Rinn and Tinn hesitated before going with them. Grimmjow might want them there.

When they arrived at Kisuke's Quel-Anna was manning the register. Well, actually, she was sitting at the register and reading a book. The adjuchas looked up at the tinkle of the bell.

"Sss, ssshinigami. What do you need? We have sssome good sssoul candiesss." She said, before rising to her feet. Or rather, her lower half. To keep the gigai comfortable, Urahara had created something that looked like a lamia. Her bottom half was a great snake, topped with a humanoid body. The snake part had white scales with her little red diamond pattern leading down it. Her humanoid half had very pale skin, jet black hair and violet eyes set in a lovely face. Kisuke had created charms for her that convinced the people around her that she was perfectly normal. Of course, they didn't work on shinigami and both Rukia and Renji looked at her wide eyed.

"What are you?" Renji asked, stunned. Quel-Anna just looked at him and flicked out a tongue that was oddly long and forked at the end. "Wait… you're a hollow… but that gigai…"

"I am an adjuchasss. The more my gigai leavesss my proper shape, the more painful it isss. That isss why I look like thisss. It isss really quite comfortable." Quel-Anna flexed her hands, showing off her fingers. "And it isss easssy to read. But what can I do for you?" She was the most dutiful of Grimmjow's fraccion and took her job at the store seriously.

"Uh, we're looking for Ichigo actually. Is he here?" Rukia asked and Quel-Anna nodded.

"Yesss, he isss having a drink with Grimmjow. They are sscelebrating the ssstart of their new offssspring." She said, which surprised more than the shinigami.

"A new cub? Really? The scientist guy found something out? That's great!" Rinn and Tinn were both quite happy at the news. They didn't care much about new cubs either way, but they knew Grimmjow wanted more and when Grimmjow was happy, the fraccion was happy.

"Oh, perfect! Mayuri will be pleased." That comment went completely over the twins' heads but Quel-Anna just nodded. She knew exactly what Renji was referring to. "Maybe we should talk to Urahara first then."

"He isss in the back." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder before sitting back down on the stool and going back to her book. Ignored, the two shinigami went to the back. Rinn and Tinn stayed to chat with Quel-Anna a bit, questioning her about Grimmjow's conception. It was always easier to quiz their fellow fraccion than Grimmjow himself.

"You shouldn't have mentioned Mayuri, you idiot – Ichigo!" Rukia almost ran into the orange haired soul reaper, who gave them both a deeply suspicious look. "Ichigo?"

"I heard you say Kurotsuchi's name. What are you doing here, Rukia?" He asked but the answer came from someone behind him.

"They're getting reports from Urahara to take to that fucking freak with the makeup. Don't get your shorts in a knot, shinigami." Grimmjow's voice sounded lazy and very satisfied, a tone that was deeply familiar to Renji. He blushed but Rukia didn't seem to notice, just gaping at the arrancar's knowledge. They had all assumed that Urahara's research was a secret. Well, not the fact that he was doing research, but the way he was sending his raw information to Soul Society.

"What! What the fucking hell?" Ichigo's voice suddenly took on an echoing tone and the two shinigami stepped back as his eyes flashed to black and gold. "You bitch, you knew? I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't walk right for a week!" He stalked back into the room and Rukia and Renji both saw that Grimmjow was lying on a bunch of cushions. Fortunately he was wearing a very plush, blue bathrobe.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Grimmjow leered up at Shiro, who growled at him threateningly. "Oh, calm down. Quel-Anna found out about it weeks ago and she told me. That pervert has an arrangement with Mayuri. He's sending the guy raw information, his data collections, and the freak is using it to write his own papers for Soul Society. He's paying Kisuke a lot for the privilege, too." Grimmjow yawned widely. "Scientists have some kind of fucking compulsion to write papers. Szayel did it all the time and the only one around willing to read the damned things was Aizen, and he didn't have time so he only read the conclusions. Anyway, it's tit for tat. We're staying here for free, Kisuke can sell the data, I don't care."

"Writing papers is how scientists get well known, Grimmjow. Beating out the competition to write something good is the nerdy equivalent to beating the shit out of everyone you meet." Shiro said, then growled. "I don't like this and King doesn't either. We are not fucking specimens in a jar!" Then black and gold eyes went back to brown and the echoing tone left his voice. "I'm going to speak to Urahara about this." He said and Grimmjow scowled.

"Just don't get us kicked out. I love the hot springs." He said, glancing at the two shinigami again. Rukia and Renji had been listening, fascinated. "What, you guys admiring the view?" He stretched out in a lazy and catlike gesture, one well-muscled leg sliding out from the blue fabric. Then he laughed as they both squeaked and Ichigo growled, reaching out to shut the door.

"Fucking cat, let's get started on that punishment…" The door wasn't that thick and they could both hear Shiro's echoing tones before the shinigami beat a hasty retreat.

"Wow. I just… wow." Reading the reports wasn't quite the same as seeing it in person and both the shinigami were a little shell shocked. "Let's find Urahara before something else happens." Renji said and Rukia nodded. Then she yelped as a dog ran down the hall. It saw the shinigami, or sensed them at least, and tried to stop. But the slick wooden floors defeated it and it slid right into Rukia's legs. Then it tried to jump on her, tongue hanging out of its mouth in excitement.

"Kukkapuro! Heel!" They both looked up at the young voice and the dog ran to his master, trying to obey. Unfortunately the floor defeated him a second time and he slid right into Tigre's legs. "You're a silly dog. Oh hey, you guys again!" Tigre seemed very pleased to see them, smiling.

"Yeah, us. Is it my imagination or have you grown a bit?" Renji asked and Rukia blinked, surprised. But Tigre did look a bit taller. The youngster made a face.

"Yeah, I have. Ishida had to take out the hems in my clothes. Fortunately he planned it that way… but what are you guys doing here?" Tigre asked curiously. "If you're looking for Urahara he's on the toilet." He said which was useful but a bit too much information. "And the stuff he put together for you is in the lab, I can show you."

"You know about that too?" Rukia asked, slightly bemused and Tigre gave her a cheeky grin. "But you didn't tell Ichigo?"

"Papi said not to, he said daddy would be pissed." Tigre said with a smile and the two shinigami both had to smile back. That was exactly what had happened. "C'mon, follow me." He took them to the lab, pointing out the folder and the data chips that Urahara had put together. "No!" He quickly grabbed his dog's collar as Kukkapuro tried to grab a corner of the folder. Renji snatched it up, helping to prevent catastrophe. "Silly dog. You're just a big wiener." He petted Kukkapuro with a smile and the dog barked excitedly. "Oh fine, fetch!" He tossed a ball down the hall and grinned as the dog chased after it, skidding again on the slick hardwood floors.

"Big wiener? Oh, like a hot dog?" Renji asked, a bit bemused by the expression. He passed the folder to Rukia, who flipped through it for a moment, assuring herself that it was what they had come for.

"Yup! I don't know why they call them that they, they don't look anything like dogs. They taste good though, but papi won't eat the bun." Tigre sounded mildly perplexed at that. "So are you – oh." Kisuke had just entered the lab and was looking at them all in surprise.

"Oh! Rukia and Renji, you came for the, ah, stuff?" He said, clearly trying to keep a secret from Tigre. The cub just smiled innocently and Rukia made a note to herself. The kid was pretty good at deception.

"Well, I'll go take Kukkapuro for a walk." He said cheerfully as the dog ran back into the room, carrying his ball. He tried to stop and skidded into Tigre's legs. "C'mon pup, go get your leash!" He said and the dog dropped his ball, running out of the room. He was really quite smart and knew the location of his leash, and when it meant when Tigre said that word. He also knew the word 'walk' quite well. Tigre followed Kukkapuro out of the room and Kisuke breathed a small sigh of relief. Rukia and Renji exchanged a glance before the redhead decided they needed to warn him.

"Uh, I hate to tell you this, but all the arrancar know you've been observing them. Apparently, they've known for a while. Tigre showed us this." Renji pointed to the report Rukia was holding as Urahara's eyes bugged out a little. "And Ichigo overheard something and then Grimmjow explained everything to him. Sorry."

"Oh dear." The scientist said with a sigh, fanning himself a bit. "Well, I knew it couldn't last forever. But at least it sounds like Grimmjow won't be a problem. Do you have everything?" He quickly checked and saw they did. "Thank you for stopping by. Could you mention to Mayuri that I would like some shinigami eggs for an experiment with Grimmjow's reiatsu?"

"Uh, sure." Rukia said a touch weakly as Renji shuddered. They both preferred not to think about the exact details of the experiments going on here. Quickly making their escape, they went to use the senkaimon and get the information back to Kurotsuchi.

Although maybe they would come back just to hang out. The hollows were strangely good company.

* * *

"A tiger!" Tigre looked into the enclosure in awe as Ichigo smiled, watching. Grimmjow was nearly as interested, leaning against the plexiglass and examining the big cat. "You were right papi, he's orange like me." Tigre said in fascination as Grimmjow laughed.

"It's kind of funny. I knew tigers were orange, but I can't remember ever seeing one. Must have been something from my living days." Grimmjow pressed his hand against the glass, then grinned. It was a wide, feral grin. "I bet I could take him."

"I bet you could, too. Look." Ichigo pointed to a sign and Tigre immediately read it.

"Bred in captivity... what does that mean, daddy?" He asked Ichigo, who grinned.

"It means he's never lived in the wild, only zoo's like this." He explained and Tigre looked at the tiger with an almost pitying look. "He's never had to hunt for a meal. So I'm absolutely sure you could whip his ass, Grimm." He was willing to put money on Grimmjow even in his gigai. The arrancar grinned and clasped his hands together, flexing a bit. "Don't actually do it." Ichigo said cautiously and Grimmjow laughed.

"I wasn't thinking about it, honest. All these humans would get their shorts in a knot." Grimmjow glanced around at the people around them and Ichigo caught the unease in his glance. The arrancar hid it well, but he didn't like crowds. Although he did seem to enjoy all the children, probably because of his own condition. Ichigo's gaze dropped down, but there was no sign of the growing child yet. "Doesn't the poor bastard get bored?" He said, looking at the tiger and a zoo employee happened to overhear.

"We've taken some steps to help with that!" She said cheerfully and they all looked at her. Other people gave her attention, too. "We came up with some ideas for special enrichment, and it's about time for one. Watch!" She waved to someone and they all watched as a hunk of meat on a rope was tossed into the enclosure. Another employee was using a small crank to draw it in and tiger's head came up. They all watched as the big cat began stalking the rope, his butt wiggling in a way that reminded Ichigo of a kitten about to pounce. He didn't think the tiger was taking his 'hunt' seriously, but then, he likely wasn't hungry. The tiger suddenly leapt and batted at the meat, tossing it around. He played with his 'prey' for several minutes before finally biting in and tearing the meat off the rope. Everyone laughed and applauded as he settled in with his 'kill.'

"Pitiful hunting technique, but he sure is happy." Was Tigre's opinion. "And I guess that's all that matters if he has to stay here, right papi?"

"Yep. I'd feel sorry for him, but there's worse things than having all the food you want and silly humans to play games with ya." Grimmjow said with a laugh. "Want to move on, cub?" The tiger was fascinating but he was clearly going to be busy with his meal for a while. Tigre nodded.

"Sure!" They explored a few other places and Tigre especially loved the petting zoo. There was a llama that took a special fondness for him and Tigre giggled as he got licked by a very big, wet tongue. "Hey! Only papi gets to bathe me!" He told the llama who just licked him again. "Hah, you're funny." He beamed as he fed the llama the last of his treats. "Sorry, all gone." He said and the animal wandered off in search of more food. "Cupboard love, oh well." Tigre said with a grin as he tossed out his bag. "Speaking of cupboard love, can I try some human food daddy?" He asked Ichigo who nodded. Grimmjow snorted.

"You better love us for more than food, bebe!" He said teasingly as Ichigo laughed. Knowing his audience, he got them all corn dogs. Tigre was willing to eat the corn, but Grimmjow peeled it away to get at the meat beneath. They both liked the honey mustard that went with it. Ichigo bit into his, enjoying the carnival food.

"Papi? Can I ask you something?" Tigre said as he chewed on his corn dog. Grimmjow nodded, his mouth full. "When the new cub is born, will you still love me?" Ichigo almost choked on his corn dog, giving their son a horrified look. But Tigre just stared at Grimmjow, his expression solemn. Grimmjow blinked and swallowed his food before putting an arm around Tigre's shoulders.

"Of course I will. You'll always be my favorite bebe." Grimmjow said comfortingly and Ichigo's mind reeled. Why would Tigre even ask that question? Couldn't he see how much Grimmjow loved him?

_He wasn't actually asking about love, King. He was asking if Grimmjow would let him stay in the fraccion after the kid is born, and that's something else entirely. I'll explain it to you later._ Shiro promised and Ichigo nodded, frowning. Tigre had been afraid Grimmjow would make him leave? That made a bit more sense, but it still made him scowl to himself. If Grimmjow had tried that, he'd have had words with the ex-Espada. But then he forced himself to relax. Grimmjow clearly had decided not to do that, so there was no reason to get upset.

They spent some time in the botanical gardens and Ichigo had to almost forcibly restrain Tigre from trying to catch the butterflies. Apparently, the way they fluttered ignited every predatory instinct he owned. Worse yet, Ichigo could see Grimmjow twitching, his bright blue eyes following the butterflies. Deciding that cats and exotic butterflies were a bad mix, he took them to the ape enclosure. Unfortunately, the monkies really didn't like them.

"Are they trying to throw poop at us?" Tigre asked as Grimmjow laughed. Ichigo rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. The monkies clearly knew there was something off about the two of them. The gorillas, fortunately, didn't know or at least didn't care. It didn't take them long to finish off the rest of the zoo and they caught a bus heading back home. "That was a lot of fun, daddy!"

"It really was." Grimmjow agreed. "Too bad the fraccion couldn't come." They'd decided it would be too expensive to take everyone, and Ichigo had wanted some private time with Grimmjow and Tigre anyway. After the way the monkies had reacted, Ichigo thought that had been a prudent decision. How would the animals have reacted to Quel-Anna? She radiated snake just as heavily as Grimm and Tigre radiated cat. He'd asked Rinn and Tinn about their origins and they had both been rabbit type adjuchas, which likely wouldn't have been a problem.

"It's probably just as well. Quel-Anna might have given the lemurs heart attacks." He joked and Tigre laughed. The signs for the lemurs had noted they were the natural prey of certain snakes.

"Hey papi, want me to make you a reishi pill?" Tigre asked and Ichigo quickly checked Grimmjow's power. The cub had noticed before him - not surprising, he was very in tune with Grimmjow - but the arrancar was definitely getting low. Grimmjow nodded.

"If you could, bebe." Grimmjow could make his own pills, of course, but now that he was pregnant it was better if someone else did it. Ichigo frowned slightly as he watched Tigre make him a pill.

"Grimmjow, you didn't live on those while you were carrying Tigre, did you?" He asked and the arrancar shook his head. "Maybe we should go back to Hueco Mundo for a hunt." He wanted to make sure his new son or daughter had everything they needed to be healthy.

_I was wondering about that too, but I figured he'd say something if there was a problem._ Shiro put in.

"I don't see why it would be a problem." Grimmjow said, accidentally echoing Shiro. "We're made of reishi, after all. But I wouldn't say no to a real meal, the way those things jolt my system is fucking unpleasant." Tigre nodded while making a face and Ichigo suddenly wondered. Tigre didn't have a hollow hole and he wasn't exactly an arrancar. He wasn't human and couldn't survive on nothing but their food, but could he survive on the food in Soul Society?

_Maybe. Why, were you thinking of taking him there? Grimmjow would have a cow._ Shiro said and Ichigo shrugged.

"I was just wondering about it." He whispered to his other half. "I might want to take him there someday." Not now, when Tigre was still slightly immature, but maybe when he was an adult. Maybe exposing him to the Soul Reapers, and vice versa, would be a good idea.

_Just make sure he doesn't knock up half the Seireitei._ Shiro said with a snigger and Ichigo grimaced. Urahara's experiments with Grimmjow's reiatsu had bourn a strange, strange fruit. It turned out an arrancar could impregnate a shinigami, and Kurotsuchi had been delighted. He'd been the one to provide the donor eggs, and Urahara had sent them back to him. He was planning to implant them in surrogate mothers to see how the children would turn out. Grimmjow was utterly unconcerned and Urahara assured him the children would be treated humanely, but Ichigo couldn't help but be worried. But as Shiro liked to remind him, they weren't his children at all. Only Grimmjow had a stake in it and since they weren't his eggs he didn't care.

They split up at Urahara's place. Ichigo needed to do some homework, and the store could get a little raucous with Tigre and Kukkapuro around. He promised to come back later, though, and play with the cub. The leer Grimmjow gave him made Shiro flash his power in a way that Ichigo had identified as flirtatious. It made him blush a little, but also smile. Their mate was very sexy.

_I want to ride him tonight, King._ Shiro said and Ichigo nodded.

"Sure." Heading home, he entered his room and locked the door. Assured that none of his sisters would interrupt, he manifested his hollow. "You were going to explain something to me about Tigre and Grimmjow?" He said as Shiro gave him a grin.

"Oh, that." The grin vanished, replaced with a serious expression. "It's not really too complicated. This isn't a normal situation for hollows, King. Want me to go over how hollow families usually work?"

"Sure." Ichigo said as he took a seat at the computer. Shiro sprawled over his bed, stretching out like a content cat.

"Okay. So first, you have the mid and low level adjuchas. They usually try to raise the cubs alone, without the help of a sire or fraccion. Trying to put together a fraccion is really dangerous if you don't have the power to control it. It's like a pride of lions... if the alpha loses leadership, the new alpha will kill the cubs." Shiro said and Ichigo nodded. It was easier if he thought of hollows as animals rather than thinking beings. And honestly, it was more true to their nature anyway. "Now, high level adjuchas will often form a fraccion to raise a cub because they're powerful enough to handle it. That's where Grimmjow is now. When he was alone in Los Noches, though, he was more like a Vasto Lorde. They'll raise a cub alone because no one's going to fuck with them but another vasto lorde, and they're really rare. Grimmjow might technically be adjuchas, but as an arrancar he's more like a low level vasto lorde."

"Would that make you a high level vasto lorde?" Ichigo asked curiously and Shiro flashed him a quick grin.

"Yeah, you're a spiritual nuke King, and so am I. Anyway, the way hollows raise their cubs can differ a lot. Most just give them the basic lessons and boot them out the door. Mid and low level adjuchas, especially, since raising a cub is a huge pain. A high level adjuchas or vasto lorde, on the other hand, might let a cub hang around. For an adjuchas like Grimmjow, the cub would become the lowest rung of the fraccion." Shiro explained and Ichigo frowned.

"That doesn't explain why Tigre thought Grimmjow might make him leave." He pointed out and Shiro hesitated before shrugging.

"Having a new cub coming while the current one is still immature is pretty unusual, King. It does happen, though, especially if the sire hangs around. And keeping an older cub around a younger one can be really dicey. The older one is likely to kill the younger." He said plainly and Ichigo winced. "Competition for affection and resources. So the older cub usually gets driven off, ready or not."

"I see." Ichigo said grimly. "Grimmjow better not try to drag Tigre off. I'm sure he would never hurt the baby." In fact, Tigre seemed to be looking forward to his younger sibling. Shiro nodded.

"He's more shinigami than hollow in some ways, so yeah, I'm sure you're right. And he's taken a long time to grow, so this is probably gonna be natural for arrancar, having siblings together. Heh. I wonder how they'll adapt to it?" Shiro seemed amused by the thought. "You know, Grimmjow can't be the only arrancar who's breeding."

"Even with the fertility problem?" Ichigo asked skeptically and Shiro shrugged.

"There is that. And some of them are probably trying to breed with non-arrancar, which wouldn't work if your scientist friend is right. But this is boring. Why don't we do some breeding of our own?" Shiro sat up and Ichigo laughed before considering it.

"Only if we make it quick, I really do need to finish this homework." He said, glancing at his computer. He was managing to keep up in all of his subjects, but it was difficult sometimes between his lovers and Tigre. Shiro pouted a little then shook his head.

"Nah... you do the homework, then we can spend a nice night with Grimmjow." Shiro could delay gratification when there was something better on the horizon. Ichigo nodded and turned to his computer, turning it on and pulling up his word processing program. He had an essay that was due next week, so it really wouldn't wait.

Not if he wanted to spend the night with Grimmjow and Tigre, at least.


End file.
